Never Fly Too Close To The Sun
by TheWhiteRose-96
Summary: There's always that one sarcastic introvert in 6th form (high school) who doesn't feel she belongs. All she has is her uncomfortable family life & 3 adorable dorks for friends, and this isn't the life for her. However, after the Christmas holidays, she is assigned the role of showing the new girl around. Will the sunshine warm Beca's heart, or burn her to ashes? [mature scenes]
1. Why Are Clouds Grey On A Dull Day

"Welcome everyone, new and old. I am Mr Edwardson, head of 6th form here at Barden Secondary School - if you didn't already know - and I would like to take the time to wish you all the best in achieving what is necessary to set you on a journey of happiness and ambition in the future. This is the start of you becoming adults," the sweaty and pale man that was stood on the stage at the front of the hall paused to take a breath and wipe his brow with a silk handkerchief before continuing, "Barden School is dedicated to squeezing the best out of every single one of you," he says with the emphasis of squeezing his plump fingers together into a fist. Facing the short man in his charcoal suit sat row upon row of gormless faces dressed in an array of bright and dark shades, inspecting either him or the drizzle falling on the windows at the sides of the hall. He sighed slightly, thinking about how students nowadays are so set on impressing one another, and never goal-orientated, before continuing his speech of desperation which lacked originality.

Three rows from the back, on one of the stiff plastic chairs, sat a brunette. Her hair fell in natural dark brown waves to just below her shoulders, creating coverage over the smokey grey polo with a black front pocket which clung loosely to her torso. To match the 'alternative' look, her lower half was covered by ripped black skinny jeans and bulky black matt Doc Martin boots. Her wrists held several thick fabric bracelets in place, and her ears were both heavily pierced with ear spikes & studs. On her face, a smirk tugged at the edges of her ruby red lips as she noted the blushing man stuttering on his words nervously, before turning her attention to the thoughts within her head. One section of her mind was solely based upon 24/7 remixes of songs electronically - this was a combination of mixes she took pride in having created, and also the works of artists she admired most. However, this portion of her buzzing mind was not what she decided to focus on. Instead, she thought it more appropriate to head to her train-of-thought: the things she would say if she had people to say them to, but didn't.

These thoughts went from her perception on how crap the school year was going to be, to her then followed fears and distaste on who her form tutor (Ms. Radcliffe, a highly biased teacher whom had been punishing her victims since their first day 5 years previous) for the whole of year 12, and 13 was to be, and finally to her annoyance at her dad and the step-monster he married for forcing her to go to 6th form rather than follow her dreams in the world of practicality and experience. Why couldn't she just get out there and make her difference in the world? Why did she have to spend even more time in stuffy classrooms learning absolute nonsense that wouldn't be necessary in her future?

The side-tracked 16 year-old snapped back to reality suddenly when an eruption of loud clapping started. She joined in reluctantly as the man now dripping with sweat and bright red waddled off the stage. A line of 6 teachers filed on past him, all beaming with sickly sweet smiles and dressed in their best attire. The grungy girl raised an eyebrow and smirked at the teachers as they took turns to step forward and introduce themselves before giving directions for how the students could reach their particular form room after the assembly. Finally it came to a short and thin lady dressed in a pencil skirt and tan blouse to step forward. She cleared her throat quickly before saying sharply, "For form 12e, walk along the corridor straight ahead until the end. Enter the area by the pond and turn right, followed by another right. Go past the next pond and then turn right again. You will reach the French Department. This is where you shall wait for me to take you to our assigned tutor room." She nodded briefly, as if pleased with herself, and remembered to plaster on a toothy smile before stepping back to let the last teacher address the year group.

* * *

 **15 Minutes Later**

Ms. Radcliffe marched to the crowd of about 20 gangly teenagers stood around the building labelled 'French Department'. She took out her register from under her arm, "Right, listen up please," the class obeyed and turned towards her patiently, "as I said in assembly, I'm Ms. Radcliffe and I will be your tutor for the remaining two years. Some of you this is too late to say to, but to those of you who are new at Barden, make sure you're organised and achieve your targets and we'll get on fine. Now, I'm going to register you so that I know you're all here before taking you to our form room. This classroom will be the ours for every morning registration and afternoon tutor time for the rest of these two years, too. Like with me, if you treat it well, all shall be fine," she smiled slightly in an attempt to show her humour only to receive a lack of laughter from the blank faces.

Focusing her attention down, the lady started briskly barking pupils' names from the register, looking up to see who they were and if they were present before proceeding. The girl in grey and black attire stood a little away from the crowd of fellow students, she stood behind and allowed her (lack of) height to become an advantage as she went unnoticed. Unnoticed until, that is, the shrill voice called, "Beca Mitchell?"

Beca groaned before reluctantly raising a hand and replying with "yes madam." She was aware of what was to come..

The gaggle of faces all turned to look at her as her tutor continued to say, "Now this is such an interesting thing..I've been Beca's tutor for how many years? I was her tutor in year 7 - when she was such a small, shy little thing. I also taught her geography for year 8 and 9, until she dropped it of course! Don't worry Beca, I don't hold it against you," Ms. Radcliffe grinned at Beca innocently, but Beca knew the truth.

"And finally I was her tutor again last year! We had such fun, there she was as a year 11..though still just as small and shy," Ms. Radcliffe laughed (cackled in Beca's opinion) before shaking her head to herself and going back to the register.

Beca's face burned red as she seethed over what had just happened. She hated being the centre of attention, but even more so when being humiliated. This was not going to be an easy time for her, she could tell..

* * *

 **10 Minutes Later**

Beca swiftly entered the cold classroom and headed right for the empty desk in the back right-hand corner, dropping her black satchel carelessly on the seat next to her so that none of her fellow classmates took the empty seat as an invitation to engage with her.

The remainder of what would be the year 12's first and second periods were spent with timetables and letters being handed out. Beca inspected her timetable skeptically, but decided it could be worse. For her A-Levels, she had chosen to study a combination of what she was good at, what she enjoyed, and what didn't make her want to crawl into a hole and die. This resulted in her 4 options being music (which she adored), Russian (which she found boring but easy), Physics (which she was awful at, but had been told it would look good in the future to have done a science) and English Lit (which she genuinely liked as she spent a lot of her time reading..alone). Her timetable consisted of these 4 lessons along with 2 sports lessons a week, and 3 free/study periods.

* * *

 **90 Minutes Later**

After first and second period, it was break time. Beca was thankful for this and her stomach growled impatiently as she rushed towards the canteen and weaved her short figure sneakily through the long queue. She was just weaving around a couple of gossiping year 9 girls when she collided with a tall tanned boy with immense force. They both stumbled back and Beca closed her eyes, rubbing her head and wincing at the sharp pain.

"Umm..are you alright?" The boy peered down at the frowning girl with a look of concern in his warm brown eyes. He ran a hand through his short brown hair before nervously glancing down to see her take her hand away from her forehead and display a huge red bump. His eyes widening in shock, the boy grabbed her by the shoulders, spun the now tensing and confused girl around and sat her at a neighbouring table before she could utter a word. He quickly ordered, "Don't move, I'll be right back," before disappearing into the crowds of pupils.

Beca buried her pounding head in her hands and groaned as she probed the lump protruding from her head and inspected it in the front-facing camera of her smartphone. Why was she always so damn clumsy?

Within 30 seconds, Beca felt the cheap canteen furniture sway as the boy slid in opposite her, cradling objects in his arm as he swung his backpack off onto the seat beside him on the 4-table. She stared at the contents, trying to process it as he placed them carefully on the surface. After what felt like too long of a silence to him, the boy said, "Err..I'm really sorry about knocking into you back there. I thought you might benefit from this stuff. I do food technology AND health & social, so don't worry about my reliability in knowing how to restore you to being a fully functioning angsty teenager." He winked at the dazed girl opposite him, in an attempt to lighten the slightly awkward mood.

"Umm..thanks? Just one thing, who are you?" Beca questioned, eyeing the cup of water, Capris Sun Summer fruit-flavoured juice packet, and rocky road cake in front of her.

"Aha oh yeah I'm Jesse," he chuckled, "the name's Swanson..Jesse Swanson." Beca widened her eyes as she realised that Jesse was doing a shitty and highly uncool impersonation of James Bond.

"Well..Mr Swanson," she humoured him, "you must sweep your girlfriend off her feet."

He grinned, "Oh I don't have a girlfriend. Actually-"

"WHAT?! But you have juice pouches and rocky!" Beca joked back, her voice exclaiming at a high pitch in mockery.

The two year 12's talked for the remainder of break, Beca sipping at the Capris Sun while Jesse nibbled at the cake she had declined politely. At the end of break, they said their good byes before embarrassingly realising they actually both were in the same Russian class next lesson.

Beca's Russian class went by quickly enough - she knew the teacher from previous years so avoided being picked-on compared to the new students to the school, and got by simply making a few notes and staring out the window at the grey sky beyond the school walls.

One amusing factor in her lesson was that of a boy with short tight light brown curls for hair and a round face. When the teacher finally picked on him by saying, "Let's see..you at the front. Sorry, what's your name again? Could you please tell us the correct sentence on the board?" the boy physically bounced up and down eagerly before replying in a voice at top-speed, "Yes, yes of course sir. My name is Benjamin Applebaum sir. However, I would greatly appreciate being called Benji. My cousin is called Benjamin see, and it gets awfully confusing at family meet-ups when the family are calling for one of us. I always have to say-"

"Yes thank you..Benji. Would you perhaps be able to tell us the answer on the board compared to your family background please?" the teacher interrupted, not irritated more than slightly amused at the now-blushing boy sat in front of him. Beca chuckled to herself at what had just happened between the adorable dork and the now-smirking teacher. Now that's a cool kid..she thought to herself with amusement.

* * *

 **After 3rd Period**

4th lesson had gone by fast, with Beca simply getting into her own world of bliss while her music teacher explained to the class their tasks for year 12 and then let them go on the computers to start researching more into the background and technical requirements they'd need in order to start the main part of their coursework: a piece produced solely by them. Beca wasn't friends with anyone in this class, and there were only 10 of them who had chosen to do this A-Level, so she managed to focus her attention fully - no dorky boys or collisions to interrupt her.

The bell for lunch filled the air after what only felt like 10 minutes to Beca - not a full hour lesson! She packed up her folder, shoved it into her satchel and then headed for the canteen. Outside the canteen she spotted the child-like boy from Russian talking to a girl in school uniform (meaning she was probably in the year group below), stood by the tanned boy from break time. The tanned boy appeared to be looking for someone, his eyes squinting in concentration as pupils filed past, whereas the two next to him seemed in such deep conversation that Beca thought if there was an earthquake they wouldn't notice. They were even making gestures with their hands to emphasise their points, and occasionally one of them would place their hand on the other's arm or shoulder, before blushing and removing it quickly. Beca paused to watch the cute exchanges before walking on towards the canteen entrance.

"Hey Beca! Over here!" A familiar voice called to Beca just as she reached the doors through the buzzing crowd. She looked over and saw three figures struggling to reach her. She waited patiently and was finally reached as Jesse used the door frame to pull himself to his destination. He grinned back at Benji & the girl, "See Em, I did find someone as clumsy as me!" he addressed the younger girl, whom Beca assumed to be called 'Em', chuckling internally as she realised it was like the James Bond character 'M'.

Interrupting her thoughts and bringing her back to the real world, Jesse asked, "Do you fancy sitting with us? This is Em, or Emily if you want to address her by her full name," he rolled his eyes jokingly as if Emily was the most strenuous name to pronounce, "and my good friend here is Benji. Before you ask, we're not pedophiles, Em is my neighbour and I've known her since I was 4-"

"That's what he tells everyone, but really he's just a guy who offers me lollipops." Emily joked, winking at Beca.

"Hey! I get you the best lollipops there are..chuppa chups!" Jesse joked back.

During the joking argument, Beca noticed Benji standing with a fearful and childish expression of hesitance on his face so decided to help him out, "Hey Benji, you're in Russian with Jesse and I, right?"

He nodded timidly, but with a clear look of relief and gratitude towards Beca.

"Right, I'm starving, let's get some food!" Jesse interjected, leading the quartet inside. They all chatted happily as they queued, Jesse & Emily throwing positive and bubbly enthusiasm into the conversation as Beca added light-hearted sarcasm and Benji occasionally rushed the odd line of speech. Beca noted the change in Benji's confidence from his comfort to speak at full length in the lesson, obviously where he's at ease what with being a nerd, to his awkward lack of social skills - not that she can talk about lack of social skills!

They all got their food (a combination of junk food, salads and juices) before sitting down at a small table.

"I love junk food..isn't it the best?!" Beca exclaimed. Jesse, with a teasing grin on his face replies, "Oh we all love the Junk family, don't we Em?" Beca expressed confusion so Emily quickly explained, "Jesse likes to embarrass me by bringing up to new people how my surname is Junk."

"Why did you choose that na-" Beca started to ask, but Emily jumped ahead in her explanation, "Well, my Dad's last name is Hardon, so we thought it probably a little easier - though not much - for me to take my Mum's..so here I am! Guess I better get married asap though, right?" She chuckled at her own remark and Beca saw Jesse wink and give a subtle thumbs-up to the now-blushing Benji. Aww bless, she thought, feeling nothing but soppy adoration for the two dorks she'd become acquainted to.

As if to mirror how the day was progressing (and to complete the cliché), Beca thought, the earlier grey clouds which had loomed above and dropped specks of drizzle had disappeared, to unveil a pale blue sky. Beca's new friends all also noticed this and were commenting on how beautiful it was, etc while Beca snorted inwardly and just reminded herself that she only had English left after a dreaded 20 minute tutor time at the end of lunch.

* * *

 **After Lunch Time**

During tutor time, Ms. Radcliffe droned on about the rules which had already been stated in the assembly that morning (not-to-mention repeated to Beca constantly since her joining in year 7, five years ago). Then, the register was taken at speed, simply requiring a "yes madam" or "afternoon madam" from the students when their name was called. Finally, tutor time ended when letters alerting the pupils of school photographs was handed out.

WAIT..school photographs.. Beca groaned; she thought that might be over with now that she was in the 6th form. But no, instead she would not only have to try and for once make her hair obey for the photo but it seemed that, because the 6th form allowed a non-uniform dress code, find something along their requested guidelines to wear.

These thoughts of dread all passed however when the bell rang for 5th period and Beca headed for the tall, 3-storey English block. The building itself was highly ugly with a beige and brown colour and rectangular windows on each floor along with the stairs up. However, the classrooms were one of the best in the school. Beca thought this was because the teachers taught so many topics for each year group that they therefore got more choice of what to put on their displays. One teacher, Mr Dapp, even had a board filled with simply Game Of Thrones quotes and pictures! He taught her last year, and Beca probably spent 85% of her English lessons staring at the pictures on that wall. She remembers them all, and the quotes - but her favourite was a photo of the brave and pale character Ygritte. Ygritte was a wildling, with ginger hair and a fiery personality to fit the name of her type of people. Beca sighed at the memory..

Heaving heavily after her climb, Beca's tired little legs reached the third floor in their big boots and she stopped at the doorway in front of her teacher, Miss Lavender, who smiled before directing her to the seat she was to sit in. With a thud of her bag connecting with the ground, Beca slumped in a similar fashion into her chair. She was sat at the front of the class, by the window and just behind Miss Lavender's desk. The person who was to sit next to her hadn't arrived yet, so Beca focused her mind on looking at the sea gulls swoop past the window and the children from the primary school next to Barden spill out to meet their parents. She sighed, remembering when school days was just fun games, naps and then going home to eat ice cream with her Mum, and play more games with her Dad when he got home from work..

Beca jumped when she felt a finger tap her on the shoulder. She turned to face a grinning girl looking down at her. Her green-blue eyes stared into Beca's dark blue irises with dilated black pupils as they looked the girl up and down. She had long wavy brown hair, which complimented her pale skin and dark eye make-up. Her full lips were shiny from what Beca assumed to be recent application of lip gloss. However, the now gawking Beca was only more abash as she studied the body attached to the face. The tall girl had a tightly-fitted white lace top, and bright red skinny jeans which clung to her long legs before disappearing into calf-length brown leather boots.

"Hi, I'm Stacie!" the girl chirped, extending a hand to shake Beca's as she sat down next to her. Beca tried to close her gaping mouth and to drag her eyes up from Stacie's revealing top to her eyes.

"Err..I..uh..I'm Beca. Nice to..err..meet you," Beca managed a small smile and Stacie chuckled at Beca blushing and squirming uncomfortably in her seat. Before she could tease the poor girl though, Miss Lavender called to everyone and walked to the centre of the room.

The lesson went relatively quickly, with Stacie flirting obviously with Beca, and Beca awkwardly trying to ignore the remarks by concentrating on reading the extract from Macbeth. She was so distracted however that she ended up reading the same sentence "unsex me" 4 times in a row before shaking her head (as if to clear it of her thoughts) and just starting her answer to the question on the board, despite having only read half the extract.

When it came to Miss Lavender asking Beca for her take on the question however, she gave an intelligent and confident answer which the teacher was very pleased with. This was because, when you spend a lot of time alone and especially in your room, Beca figured you may as well be doing something - so she started reading. Films weren't really her thing, and editing music was great but her wifi and software at home was really slow and crashed if it was used too frequently. Old-fashioned novels it was..

* * *

 **After school**

Once Beca got home, she quickly walked down the hallway into the kitchen, ignoring her step-mum in the living room as she passed it, grabbed a snack from the cupboard and re-traced her steps down the hallway to the stairs. She then took them two at a time in order to reach her bedroom before she had to engage in conversation with the monster.

Tired from her first day back after a long day at school, Beca collapsed onto her bed after throwing her school bag and crisps from the cupboard on the floor. After a few minutes of lying flat on her duvet cover, the teenager huffily rolled over & picked up her laptop from her desk. She dragged out her school books from her bag before returning to her bed. She then proceeded to work through the homework she had been assigned by her Physics and English teachers, occasionally reaching off her bed to grab a handful of Doritos from the now-opened bag on the floor.

She was just finishing her last assignment that evening when there was a knock on her door followed by it being opened - before she had even said "enter" which always pissed her off.

"Hey kiddo, how was your first day as a year 12?"

Beca rolled her eyes before looking at the new presence in her room and replying, "Firstly, Dad when have I EVER liked being called 'kiddo'? The answer is never.. And secondly, it was fine - same as any other day of my boring life at school. It's such a waste Dad, why-"

"Now Beca," her Dad warned, "we've had this conversation already. The law states you need to be in some kind of education until you're 18. You're only 16, not even an adult - adults make big decisions, therefore, because you're not old enough I'm making the decisions for yo-"

"Dad that is SO unfair. 'Some kind of education' includes apprenticeships, you know? It's not like I'm asking to just drop out altogether and go travel the world or whatever. I just want to get out there: feel like I'm living! I feel stuck here, Dad. The world is moving on and progressing while I'm staying here doing the same routine day-in and day-out. I'm just tired of this, we both know the academic route in life isn't for me. I'm never gonna be a clever doctor like you or a nurse like Mum!"

Feeling bad for his daughter, Benjamin Mitchell took a step further in and sighed in an attempt to show he wanted to reassure his complex child, and not force her to shut him out from her world again.

"I understand Beca, I really do. But the thing is, if an apprenticeship goes wrong or turns out to not actually be for you, what will you do? You'll have been set back a few years, and have no A-Levels to get you back onto the track which leads to all possibilities. Please try to see my point, I just don't want you to regret something and have it affect your whole life."

Beca frowned and retorted, "But I feel like THIS path in life is a mistake and setting me off. It's holding me back Dad, it seriously is."

"Okay Beca, I need you to understand something. I hate bringing this up, but I'm gonna have to if you're using that argument.." Beca tensed, knowing what he was going to use against her, preparing for the hurt to come. He cleared his throat gruffly before continuing with a soft tone, "The life you refer to as now, this 'path in life you're taking' isn't the path of other A-Level students your age. They socialise, they try hard and excel in ALL their studies, not just one or two subjects that they enjoy most. Also, they don't see this next two years as a disaster - they see it as an opportunity. A learning curve. Beca, if you just tried to make proper friends, to get involved in school activities and your lessons, you'd find this a better experience. You just need to stop thinking of the 'if onlys' and start thinking of the 'at leasts' that are in your life right now. At least you have an opportunity to have an education, unlike many in the world. At least you are smart enough if you put in the effort to get the grades which'll lead to many choices in life. At least you have a family that are here for you and love you-" He paused and glanced sideways nervously at his daughter. She sat firmly, her eyes set like cold stone and a grimace on her face.

With her arms folded tightly, she spat, "She is NOT my mother. Don't you DARE tell me I'm lucky because I live in a first-world country and you and HER like to play happy families," Beca narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her before continuing, "I mean, yes, sure I am lucky for being born into this area, this country. I could be somewhere like India, in the slums. Catching deadly diseases from the unsanitary water and looking for scraps to build my home with, right? You know what, I'd probably be dead by now."

"Beca.." Her Dad tried to sooth Beca as she infuriatingly blinked angry tears from her eyes.

"No Dad, you're right. Maybe I should go over to the slums, pick a random child and tell them we can swap lives. They can live with you and the step-monster while I realise how much I've taken for granted and starve in an LEDC's environment, yeah?"

Sighing, Beca's dad shook his head, muttering how of course he didn't mean that, before standing and leaving the room - closing the door behind him. He hated leaving her like that, but he knew that he couldn't say anything to help his situation, and she'd only end up pushing him further away. It had taken him so long since his divorcing of Beca's mum years beforehand and his re-marriage to his current wife for Beca to even start acknowledging him like a real person again. Why did he have to have the teenager who didn't like socialising or doing as her parents told her, eh? He thought, and simply concluded that he couldn't blame her - he was exactly the same when he was younger, anyway.


	2. The Catching Of The Eye

**October (first weekend of half-term holidays)**

"Beca, I just still don't see how you can say you don't like it at Barden when you're not even trying to like it. I mean, you say you have friends but have your step-mum and I actually met any of them? No, we haven't. Beca," her Dad sighed exasperatedly, "are you sure you have friends? I mean, you haven't been out with them after school or at the weekends and you've been so-called 'buddies' for basically 2 1/2 months now..they're not using you are they?"

"No Dad, they're not using me. I'm not paying them for drugs or to do my homework or anything, don't worry," Beca replied monotonously, her voice heavily layered with sarcasm - which she knew her Dad hated. Sure enough, this retort provoked a raised eyebrow from him and he scratched the back of his head nervously before replying, "Okay okay I believe you. I get that your friends are kinda..nerdy and don't necessarily do the whole hang out thing when they could be studying," he chuckled at his remark, "But what about you? Sheila told me that the other parents have mentioned the masses of clubs available at school. For all ages, I might add, if you think it's just snotty little kids buzzing around making up languages with their classmates. Or why don't you ever invite any of your friends round to meet us? I'm starting to get the idea you don't like me.." He trailed off and broke eye contact with his daughter, feeling the pit of his stomach squirm in fear that she might confirm his notion.

"Aw no Dad, I don't dislike you! I dislike SHEILA," she spat the name with clear distaste, "But.." she huffed reluctantly seeing her Dad's wounded expression, "I know she makes you happy and she has been fine with me. I would blame anyone who married either of my parents after they'd split up. I guess I'm immature that way." Beca shrugged with nonchalance, knowing how stubborn she was and that she never tended to alter her opinion on matters like these anyway, "As for clubs..I truthfully haven't looked at the list."

Beca's Dad smiled as he saw an opportunity arise in the conversation and him being able to gain leverage over his now guilt-ridden teenager, "Brilliant! I believe Sheila got an email with the list from the school. Should I get her to print it off for you once she's back?" He decided to chance it, "Maybe..maybe you could go through it together..? You know, let her know when to put dinner in the oven for you and make sure laundry washes fit if you need..err sports kit."

Still feeling regret for saying what she did about the step-monster, despite her being a monster nevertheless, Beca didn't want to have any further arguments with her Dad after their previous one, so decided to please him by nodding at the ground and murmuring, "Yeah..maybe..thanks Dad." Beca's Dad grinned a toothy grin from managing to actually get through to his daughter for once, and left her room, closing the door on exit.

For some reason, which Beca couldn't quite place, she felt like making her Dad feel happy. That's why she immediately logged onto Facebook and created a group chat with Jesse, Benji & Emily (still the only 3 friends she had at school). She casually typed:

 _You guys wanna hang out tonight?_

Within 30 seconds and before she could even open her book (Anna Karenina) to her current page, there was the ping of a reply.

 _Jesse: I'm defo in! Whatcha wanna do Becaw?_

Rolling her eyes, Beca typed a reply.

 _I dunno, just wanna get out the house (and prove to Dad that I have genuinely got friends)._

 _Jesse: You have friends?! That's news to me! ;P_

Huffing, Beca decided that she was going to read a couple of pages of her book before giving Jesse the smart ass any satisfaction from a reply. But before she could make Jesse suffer in silence, there was a series of excited pings. Wonder who that could be..Beca sarcastically thought to herself.

 _Benji: Yeah I'll hang out today with you guys._

 _Benji: But where d'you wanna go?_

 _Benji: And will it be outside/for long?_

 _Benji: The weather's supposed to drop dramatically in a few hours._

 _Jesse: Whoa man, calm down! I'm sure we'll go inside if we're outside as the temperature starts to drop._

 _Beca: Yeah don't worry Benji, I was actually wondering if you guys wanted to go see the new probably crappy Marvel film at the cinema, then go eat somewhere? If we're not stuffed from the subways I'm gonna make us sneak in with us ;)_

 _Jesse: Ooh yeah that'd be cool! What time are the viewings?_

 _Benji: Will we get kicked out if we get caught with other food.._

 _Jesse: Nah don't worry, we won't be gettin' caught with an agent like me surveying the perimeter ;)_

 _Beca: Seriously dude, how don't you have a girlfriend with lines like that?!_

 _Jesse: Well..I like to not make the ladies jealous, and I'm a monogamous kinda guy soo..I just stay free!_

 _Benji: There's a showing in an hour and a half, if that's good?_

 _Jesse: Yeah man, that's good with me._

 _Beca: Book 'em dude!_

 _Benji: Okay, I've booked 4, see you guys outside subway in an hour and a bit?_

 _Beca: Umm..I know you're a genius taking maths and further maths etc Benji, but only three of us are talking right now..why 4 tickets?_

 _Benji: Oh Emily doesn't have wifi at dance, but she said she can make it._

 _Jesse: OOH TEXTING, EH BENJI? ;)_

 _Beca: Such a sly wingman, Swanson._

 _Jesse: I know!_

 _Beca: Okay, so see you guys in just over an hour?_

 _Jesse: Yup._

 _Benji: Yeah :)_

It was a roughly 40 minute walk for Beca to get from her house to the centre of town (where the Subway and nearby cinema were located) so Beca rushed around her room throwing the items she needed to take with her onto her bed before sweeping a towel, flannel, smaller towel (for her hair), make-up bag and hairbrush into her arms and running out her room across the landing into the bathroom. Within two minutes the warm water was running out of the shower head and she was prancing naked under it. The water ran across her smooth skin and into the bumps between her semi-present abs. She soaked her hair with water in 40 seconds before hurriedly squeezing shower gel onto her palm and spreading it messily over her skin to only be washed off rapidly in soapy suds by the stream raining down on her. Next to be applied was the shampoo (raspberry scented) and that moussed into her brown hair, covering it in white foamy bubbles and was then washed thoroughly out within 3 minutes. Finally, Beca applied conditioner to the length of her hair, washing the dripping remainder of any shampoo and shower gel from her body off, before washing the conditioner out of her now silky smooth hair. The shower was off, the girl was hopping cold out of the shower and rubbing herself down with a towel speedily. Next, she had the procedure of make-up. Because her wet hair was up in the smaller towel, Beca managed to apply a heavy load of mascara on the tops and bottoms of her lashes along with eye liner of the top lids without her hair wildly getting in her way as per usual. Before briskly striding back in her towel across the landing and into her room to change, Beca took the small towel from her head and rests it across her shoulders under her dripping hair - as if she were at the hair dressers. She then took her hairbrush and starts rapidly combing through the messy brown locks. They fell clumsily over her face, dripping previously trapped water onto the towel. Once her hair seemed unknotted for the most part, Beca tipped her head upside down and used the small towel to vigorously rub it and her scalp. Pools of water formed on the soft rug at her feet and her hair lost its weight and formed its natural slightly lighter brown waves. She flips her head back, used her hands to roughly part the hair - failing miserably to tame the beast - and sighed into the mirror with desperation.

Once in her room, Beca reached into her wardrobe, dragging and dropping anything that hung in her way. Finally she pulled out a deep green and navy blue plaid shirt and some black skinny jeans. Once she was basically dressed, the teenager hurriedly snatched up a hair band and ties her hair into a messy-but-out-of-the-way ponytail before slipping on her black converse and shoving her phone, keys, money and unlimited cinema card in her jeans pockets. Reaching her bedroom door, she suddenly stopped, spun, strode to her bedside table, picked up her mound of bracelets & rings, turned, and left the room.

Racing down the stairs two at a time, Beca poked her head into the living room to see her Dad and Sheila sat reading - her Dad a Dickens novel, her step-mum Hello magazine. Forcing a smile she recited, "Hey I'm going out. Thought I'd use my unlimited cinema thing from Mum, and my friends were free soo..yeah. We're gonna get something to eat so don't worry about me for dinner. I'll be back before dark. Byee!" The front door slammed shut before either one of them could reply or even react. Dr Mitchell looked over at his wife with a bemused expression and she replied with, "See, I told you she just needed to settle in with her new set of people at school! I'll go through those clubs with her later if she's still like this.." To this, he nodded briskly and smiled lovingly at her before squinting back at the novel.

* * *

 **Approximately 40 Minutes Later**

"Hey guys, sorry if you've been waiting long!" Beca called as she ran over, her hair still in its unkempt formation of a loose ponytail, her arms and fingers heavily loaded with dark jewellery, and her clothes a little creased.

"Don't worry about it, Jesse's running a little late, plus we have a while till the film starts," Emily beamed at the older girl rushing to finally be with her and Benji stood outside the delicious-smelling subway. Emily had her hair in a tight bun on her head, with a pale pink head band to match the cardigan she wore and slightly baggy blue denim jeans. This all went with some casual white pumps.

"Nice jeans..I like the ripped style," Beca winked at Emily before turning her attention towards Benji, who was smartly dressed with his adorable tucked-in shirt and chinos, "And I am liking the chicness Benji, very smart indeed..sorry for my..err..mess." Beca looked a little bashful at the two perfectly dressed friends, but they simply smiled and reassured her she looked more than fine as the tanned boy in a navy button-up cardigan and round-neck polo with red chinos ran up behind the trio.

"Sorry guys, bus was running late," Jesse exclaimed between breaths. He hunched over, catching his breath as the others watched intently before standing, fixing his composure and pointing inside the building behind them, "Shall we? I don't know about you but I could always do with a cheese melt!"

They followed Jesse's licking-lips lead and went inside to get the sandwiches which they then placed inside Jesse's empty school rucksack. Next, they traipsed to the cheap pound store down the high street to buy a couple of bags of sweets (Jesse and Beca both claimed they'd be hungry enough) and a bottle of juice/water to drink in the cinema.

"So we have everything we hopefully will need, including the receipt for the tickets..what's the time Benno?" Jesse inquired, to which Benji glanced at his clunky digital watch on his arm before replying sharply, "We have 7 minutes before the film adverts start."

"Righto, better get movin', eh guys?" Jesse yet again takes the lead as they march to the cinema.

As they turned to go down a narrower path between two buildings to get to the cinema, a gaggle of giggling girls squeeze past. Beca noted there must have been between 6 and 8 of them, and the blonde at the front was saying to another girl, "Chloe, why the HELL would you wanna move here? I mean.." The sharp-tongued girl's voice trailed off as Beca's vision focused on the girl who appeared to be blushing ashamed in response to the blonde and avoiding eye contact by staring at the cobbled ground. This girl's long curled ginger locks fell across her shoulders and emitted burning light where sun rays from above hit them, glistening in the gloomy path. Beca noted the reason the girl stood out, other than because her angular features and slim figure were highly attractive, was because she was wearing a royal blue long-sleeved top and light grey skinny jeans with a sort-of red bandanna material acting as a belt around her waist. The royal blue was a complimentary colour with her orange locks, making her image stand out, along with the bright red bandanna purposefully clashing. So, this is what a trend setter looks like.. Beca thought to herself in the 30 seconds she had to observe the gaggle of girls before they passed and Beca was hurrying to catch up to her 3 friends ahead.

* * *

 **10 Minutes Later**

The quartet were in their seats as the adverts rolled and other people still filed in, a few minutes late. Benji tapped his watch and tutted in mock disapproval, to which Jesse and Emily chuckled, amused. This just reminded Beca how weird her friends were..and how she still adored them though.

However, an advert on the screen came up which caught her attention. It started with a royal blue background as fiery orange-golden letters started to appear on the screen:

 _Has something ever caught your eye?_

 _That you just can't get out of your mind?_

 _No matter how hard you try?_

Beca snorted at the attempts of rhyming and pathetic positive tunes chiming in the backing along with the soothing female French accent speaking the words, but still continued to watch.

 _Well, there's a name for that kind._

 _It's the thing that stops your guy._

 _It'll make you feel all mis-match._

 _It's the thing that'll make you cry._

 _The eye-catch._

It then transferred to a close-up of French actress (and stunner in Beca's opinion) Léa Seydoux. She proceeded to speak to the camera, "The eye-catch cannot be described as one thing. It is..how to put it..a skill. It is the instinct a person gets when they know they've been seen. When they know they're seeing others. It's the eye-catch. How to gain the skill..? Well, download the new app for the iPhone 6." Beca lost interest once it became just another advert promoting just another app. However, the speech leading up to the promotion spun around in Beca's head, linked with the advert's original bright orange and blue co-ordination, and of course that girl's attire. The eye-catch..

* * *

 **Outside The Cinema**

"Well, I didn't think Marvel could get any more unrealistic but there it was - my contradiction," Benji complained, fuming about the money he spent on that film.

"Oh come on, you have to admit that Thomas The Tank Engine part was funny! I mean..where have you seen that kinda humour other than in a kid's film?" Jesse exclaimed in his usual to-be-expected positive attitude.

"Aw Benji, you gotta admit that bit was ace!" Emily chimed in, which of course convinced Benji to nod shyly and the smile playing at the edge of his lips transformed into a huge grin when she linked her arm through his in an attempt to get us walking towards the high street with all the places to eat. The quartet ambled along, trying to shelter a little from the sharp winds Benji had forewarned them of.

When their teeth were collectively chattering and lips blue in numbness from the frosty and definitely Autumnal atmosphere, Jesse pointed at the café-restaurant ahead of them. They all nodded in frozen agreement and headed at a desperate huddle towards the glowing amber light and promise of heat.

When the door opened and the friendly bell rang, a warm blast of air greeted the friends as they stumbled and shuffled inside. They shook themselves, as if to discard the cold from their bodies, and flexed their now fully-functioning fingers before grinning at one another and heading to the back area - which looked warmest. Emily and Benji slid into one bench, while Beca slid into the opposite and Jesse went to use the toilet. Emily grinned and exclaimed with her usual enthusiasm, "This is so nice, what's this place called again?" Beca smiled warmly, and partially like a parent does to their excited child when they've said something adorable, "Boston Tea Party. It's like a café aimed at a younger crowd, it comes from America-"

"Boston to be precise," Benji interjected before looking timidly at Beca in an apologetic manner. Normally, Beca would be pissed off if someone did that to her, but as it was this dork trying to impress his younger crush and best friend's neighbour, she had the heart to embrace it - plus, it was the holidays and she didn't have to see her tutor Ms. Radcliffe for her entire time off, so she was in a good mood! She proceeded when Benji subtly beckoned for her to do so, "Yeah, it is. I kinda hope to go there in the future - not just Boston, or the Tea Party," she laughed at how obsessive that ended up sounding, "I would like to travel a lot of the world, but in particular I really want to visit North America and get a proper feel for the place."

"Plus, what with you wanting to do practical work - maybe in the music industry - and of course being across a huge ocean from your dad, you'll have a better chance at it over there!" Jesse added, sliding in next to Beca with a grin showing how proud he was of his smooth entrance. He nodded at her so she continued, "err..yeah, definitely. I mean, going to LA is actually my dream come true - that's where my highest chances for producing music are I think." The other three nod in agreement, and they all chattered away in a friendly fashion for a while. They were warming up and as it changed from late afternoon into early evening, the café started to gain more popularity from all the gaggles of friends parading town and getting hungry/thirsty, but also the shoppers who were finishing up their day's work as shops started preparing to close.

The quartet's table had 4 empty glasses where hot chocolate and marshmallows once filled, but now sat in the 4 teenagers digestive system. His toothy grin on display, Jesse joked, "Another round people?" with a response of 3 eager nods. Just as he was getting up, Beca saw past the space where Jesse had been. Her eyes caught a flash of orange, a streak of blue, and a shrill voice she recognised to belong to the blonde from earlier. Could it be..? Beca questioned what she was seeing, and uttered a quiet "no." Jesse, Benji and Emily all turned their attention to the glassy-eyed Beca. Shit, she thought, realising she must have been louder than intended.

"Umm, I mean no Jesse. Let me get it - give your ego a rest, eh?" she smiled and the others all laughed at her remark, including the tanned boy before her. He saluted and bowed out of her way, "Alright then, thanks Becaw." Beca rolled her eyes as she hopped out of the booth, grabbed her wallet and walked through to the front area. Luckily for her, the queue was relatively long and snaked around so the end was next to the table with the gaggle of girls from earlier.

Suddenly, a mixture of laughter erupted from their table and Beca jumped, not expecting it. Glancing over, she identified the laughs and their owner's. The sweet yet sickening laughter emanated from the blonde one with her hair in a tight ponytail, and wearing a smart cardigan and pink pencil skirt. A gafaw echoed from a darker-skinned girl with short hair, and she was looking skeptically at the girl across from her - or Beca noted more accurately with a smirk that the girl was actually admiring the girl opposite's boobs. Wait a second, Beca stopped and stared at the side/back of the girl with good boobs. Her long brown hair falling in waves around her shoulders, and her long legs disappearing into some black leather ankle boots. It's..

"Stacie?" Beca yet again accidentally said what she shouldn't and, yet again, wasn't quiet enough to go unheard and as if she hadn't made a single mistake. Instead, because she was stood within a foot of their table - and closest to the girl thought to be Stacie - Beca got caught..

* * *

 **10 Seconds ( & 0 Beca Heartbeats) Later**

"Beca! Oh my God, fancy seeing you here! Come on over, meet my friends," Stacie's eyes twinkled as she beckoned and grabbed Beca's arm once she close enough to pull her closer. The blonde girl dragged a nearby available chair and handed it to Beca while her eyes became slits and noted her features (Beca internally smirked as she guessed that this 'oh so perfect' blonde wasn't too into ear piercings and heavy jewellery like thumb rings, etc). Beca glanced nervously over to her original table to see Benji dictating (and showing something) to the other two, whom were intently listening and watching keenly. Beca snapped back to her current situation when Stacie asked, "Are you with anyone?"

Beca nodded as she replied, "Err..a few friends yeah, but I think they'll manage without me for a little while." A silky voice chimed in, "Are you sure? I mean, I think I speak for us all by saying that we don't wanna be to blame for your friends losing all ability to socially communicate due to their leader and role model being absent for too long a time." Beca raised an eyebrow and smirked, saying, "Leader and role model, eh? How did you know I'm such an impor-"

Her words faded away completely when she realised who had spoken to her. The ginger cocked her head to one side slightly and bit her bottom lip as she smiled sweetly at the newcomer. Beca took every inch of detail in: the way the other girl's pale blue eyes sparkled and when her smile grew how lines etched around her eyes became more apparent - showing that she obviously liked to smile, Beca concluded. The girl had a golden and delicately engraved ring on her right index finger, which was bent and tapping the table top. Her ginger locks fell perfectly around her slim angular face and highlighted jawline. The long neck poking from among the flames morphed into prominent collarbones which then hid themselves though still poking out a little through the baggy long-sleeved and wide-necked blue top. It's fabric, though loose on the ginger's slim frame, helped the brunette now taking her in see her clear curves and (most likely) highly toned body. Beca couldn't see below the table, but already knew what was there - slim legs in skinny jeans, an original choice of a red bandanna acting as belt around her low-lying hips..

Beca's thoughts started to wander and she subconsciously licked her dry lips. Embarrassed and wondering if anyone noticed, the now cheeks-red brunette looked up into the eyes of everyone at the table. Oh shit..she thought.

"Aha, I'll take that as a yes then," Stacie proclaimed at Beca's thirsty expression, "The hot chocolate here is AMAZING, you want one of those?"

Quickly, so that she didn't ruin the chance at not being noticed as a perv, Beca replied in a cheery voice, "Yeah I love them here, they're the best..thanks." She returned Stacie's smile as the tall girl brushed past her (a little more close than was perhaps necessary) and joined the queue which had decreased to half it's length in the time.

As soon as Stacie departed, Beca realised she didn't actually know any of the other girls around the table, "Umm..as you know, I'm Beca," she received some polite laughter from the group, "Err..who are you guys? I don't think I've seen you at Barden."

"Oh we don't go to Barden," the ginger cried out with a sing-song voice that made Beca's heart race.

"Oh?" She casually acted surprised. The ginger eagerly replied to this invitation to explain further, "No see we go to the all girl's school on the other side of town. You may know it-"

"Walton, right?" Beca interrupted, "Yeah I thought about going there myself."

This time, the ginger chose to say with a grin, "Oh?" Beca grinned back fully and responded, "Yeah it looked pretty good, but my Dad convinced me to stay on at Barden because it's nearer to my house, I know it already, oh and of course no uniform for 6th formers at our place!" Beca purposefully perked up at the last point, in such an animated and child-like way that the ginger couldn't help but laugh at the girl's adorable nature.

The blonde, who was wearing a frown of clear disapproval looked from the ginger beside her to Beca before saying sharply in the still air so that all eyes turn, "Well seems like you made an efficient choice then..Beca. We should probably introduce ourselves as Stacie's not here to do it for us.." Beca smirked at this odd remark from the tight-lipped blonde.

"Please, do enlighten me with your names," Beca sarcastically remarked, receiving a chuckle (which sounded like soothing wind chimes blowing gently) from the ginger and a narrowed glare from the blonde. The other remained nonplussed.

"Well," the chuckling ginger took over the conversation after seeing her friend's fierce expression, "This here to my left is good ol' Cynthia Rose," Beca exchanged nods courteously with the black girl sat across from her before Cynthia Rose went back to staring behind Beca at what she could only assume to be Stacie. The ginger gestured towards a blonde girl with straightened long hair, "This is Jessica, and next to her," she signalled to a brunette with shoulder-length hair, "Is Ashley, and of course you know Stacie..but this is Aubrey." The ginger paused, glanced to check no one at the table but Beca was watching her and then she pulled a mocking and exaggerated frowny face at Beca. Understanding who the beautiful girl (despite pulling a stupid face) was impersonating, Beca couldn't help but burst out giggling.

Wait..Beca Mitchell..giggling? She stopped when she realised they had all jumped at her sudden outburst and were incredulously looking at her with wide eyes (for the ginger it was awe, for Aubrey it was shock, and the others confusion). The ginger then winked at Beca and mouthed "so smooth" to her, causing the small brunette's cheeks to heat up again. In an attempt to regain some courage, Beca cleared her throat, looked directly into Chloe's sparkling eyes and uttered, "And you?"

"What about me?" the ginger cheekily retorted.

"Well," Beca decided to play along as her confidence rebuilt itself, "You're ginger, have blue eyes, impeccable eye-catching fashion sense, a good winking eye, even better smile when it reaches your eyes but still good otherwise and..I believe I detect a lack of necessary future dental work to be done?"

"You are correct," the girl nodded simply, "my days of braces and horror are behind me, along with those where I had no fashion sense nor a frequent smile, let alone genuine, and (dare I say it) brown rather than ginger hair.."

"Now that would be a sad sight," Beca paused to allow confusion to flood the girl's expression in the cutest fashion possible. It was like when a child couldn't understand why something in the world was how it is. Beca chose to continue, "I mean, seeing a brunette with braces, no smile or fashion sense..only blue eyes. Now that is sad, that also sounds a lot like me two years ago..that actually kinda is still me if you minus the braces part." Beca shrugged, admitting it nonchalantly rather than asking for pity.

"Anyhow," she changed the subject in order to wipe away the look of pity on the teasing girl's face, "may I know you name please?"

"Ooh so polite! Such a gentleman," the girl winked and Beca blushed, "I believe my name is..though correct me if I'm wrong," another wink at Beca, making her even more embarrassed than before, "Chloe. My name is Chloe."

"Well, 'tis a pleasure to meet all of you." She nodded at all the faces until she reached Chloe, where she grinned and bowed elegantly. Chloe giggled her incredible array of glee and decided to respond to Beca with a courtesy and the answer, "Oh no, the pleasure is certainly all mine!"

A hand grasped each of Beca's shoulders simultaneously and Beca yelped like a fool and jumped as she spun around to confront the goofy grinning boy with Benji and Emily shyly stood behind him.

"We're gonna head now Becaw, it's kinda getting late. You coming or d'you wanna stay in the company of these ladies who like to courtesy?" He made Beca blush even further, which she would have thought impossible from her previous embarrassment PLUS the shame she felt from her weird yelp when Jesse surprised her.

"Err..Stacie's getting me a drink, so I guess I'll stay." Beca turned to the table, "If you want me to stay?" Aubrey looked like she was about to say something, but Chloe also noticed this and quickly cut in, "Oh defo. Don't worry we'll take good care of her, and do courtesies if any bad men come looking to start trouble!" Jesse chuckled, shook his head at the weird ginger and walked away with the other two after they'd waved their good byes to Beca.

Stacie then came over with a tray of hot chocolates with marshmallows and they all hungrily lunged in to help themselves to one each. Stacie, strangely, was the last to try and take one from the empty tray.

"Ahh shit, I seriously can't count.. Beca," Stacie turned to the wide-eyed brunette taking a sip from the glass in her hands, "Would you mind if we shared?" Beca obediently agreed and held the glass out, however instead of taking it from her like expected, the tall girl leaned down, tucking her hair behind her ears sweetly, and took a sip from the drink.

"Mmm..I always forget just how good this is," she hummed as Beca took a sip for herself. Out of the corner of her eye, Beca saw Chloe frown slightly at Stacie, and Aubrey roll her eyes. Beca's mind then remembered that in English Stacie had been complaining about stupidly choosing to take maths AND English..therefore meaning she can count. The smaller brunette wasn't exactly complaining, but when she saw the dissatisfied look on Chloe's face felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

This knot only seemed to increase as the evening advanced and Stacie proceeded to crack flirtatious jokes and tenderly touch Beca's arm, making goosebumps arise. Her physical reaction to the tall girl's touch wasn't what Beca knew to be making her stomach tighten more and more, and make her almost feel sick. It was the look of negativity and annoyance on the faces of those around them at the table. Jessica & Ashley were squirming awkwardly and casting their eyes away. Cynthia Rose and Aubrey both shared a look of dismay mixed with mild irritation and Chloe..Chloe had a blank expression, emotionless, almost numb. Beca felt that this probably wasn't the first time Stacie had invited a 'friend from school' to join them and then pursued the conversation with blatant flirting and light physical contact.

* * *

 **About 20 Minutes Later**

Once Beca had finished her drink with Stacie, and she'd tried to bring the chatter back to be between them all for a few minutes, she made her excuses realising she should have been home long beforehand. They said farewell in a friendly manner - even Aubrey forced a small smile - and Stacie insisted upon giving Beca a tight hug, resulting in the small teenager having a flushed face as she opened the door into the frosty night air.

"It was great meeting you all," Beca turned to stare at the table and wave, her gaze focusing solely on the pure light blue orbs staring back at her from those slightly creased eyes.

The eye-catch, Beca thought to herself amused as she turned and walk out into the darkness.


	3. Action (urban dictionary def)

**A/N Hey guys, thanks so much for the encouragement! I just want to warn you that this isn't a short story (though I'm aiming to write it within the next month and be done by early-mid December) so it may be slow at points but just bear with me!**

 **The rating is currently pre-teen friendly but that'll be changing soon.. ;) Anyhow, hope you enjoy! This is of course my first go at this so sorry if it's awful.**

* * *

 **28th October (3 Days Before Halloween)**

"Happy birthday kiddo!" a deep voice was then joined with that of a shrill, higher-pitched one to proceed into,

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR-"

Groaning, Beca sat up & rubbed her eyes clean of sleep dust before glaring at the two grinning figures in front of her.

"See, I told you that would get her to respond," Beca's Dad whispered loudly to the woman stood beside him.

"Now for prezzies!" The woman cried happily, leaning forwards and plopping a pile of neatly wrapped packages from her long-nailed claw-like hands onto Beca's lap. Rolling her eyes at her step-mum's enthusiasm, Beca grabbed one and brought it closer. Then, she hesitantly stopped to say, "Thanks you guys, you didn't have to. I told you I don't like the attention or you wasting your money."

"Aww," Sheila smiled, "It's not a waste of money seeing our little girl growing up! Now, open them!"

Beca opened her mouth to make a retort about being called 'our little girl' by Sheila (who was actually only 12 years older than Beca, and closer to being her age than her Dad's) but was met with her Dad's warning glance so decided against it. Also, she remembered Sheila was only acting like the caring mother Beca lacked completely - she always has yogalates on a Tuesday mid-morning. And, of course, Sheila couldn't miss her weekly 2 hour session of standing among a crowd of gawking middle-aged women as they stared in awe at the attractive young (and probably gay, let's face it, Beca thought) male instructor-guru person. Snorting at her memory of once having met the pink lycra-clad instructor with the fake orange tan and bright white teeth when she was forced to shop for school equipment in the Summer holidays with the step-monster, the sleepy-eyed teenager started to unwrap the box on her lap.

The brightly-coloured spotty wrapping paper came apart with ease as the brunette's spindly fingers reached under the gaps and pried it open. With a few swift motions, the paper fell to the floor beside the bed and Beca's eyes widened in surprise at the object lying in her hands. Speechless, she stammered, "I..err..th..thanks Dad..and umm..Sheila." Her Dad beamed before replying, "Sheila thought you'd love it - it was her who spotted it at the store and thought of you," he nodded his head in a gesture to the now widely grinning blonde in front of Beca's bed.

Sensing her opportunity, Sheila opened her bright pink lip-sticked mouth and started to blurt into her story, her heavily bangle-covered arms waving dramatically, "So, like Benjamin said, I saw it when I was out shopping with the girls. Karen made us stop in this geek area so she could look at the kinds of nerd gaming stuff they had for, like, PCs and computers and the big engines which power them, you know?" Beca smirked at her step-mum's clear stupidity and lack of understanding for computer hardware, or even the fact that a PC and computer are the same thing..but the peroxide blonde must have misinterpreted Beca's smirk for encouragement so she proceeded her gabbling, "Yeah, so while Karen looked for a present for her son Stanley (she likes to give him presents for, like, swimming or something) Jane and I looked nearby at their trendier stuff," Beca's eyebrow involuntarily raises, amused at what Sheila finds 'trendy', "And then," She continues without noticing the girl's response, "We saw this HUGE sign saying something like 'Make the best, with the best - beats audio' and I said to Jane how you did so well in your last exam for music despite you saying how bad your stuff at home for it was. She then said how, you know, you kinda need good headphones to be able to listen to what you make, etc so we checked 'em out. I know you're into the whole darker colour scheme thing, so we looked for a bit and found those ones and I just thought they would be perfect! I mean, I could totally see you hunched over that mini keyboard," she used her flailing arms to gesture to Beca's small and worn keyboard on her desk across the room, "creating, like, actual music!" Proudly, she took a deep breath to fill her now exhausted and well-used lungs. Beca smiled, half impressed at the lady's ability to make such a short story into a speech, but also (though she would never admit it) because the woman's clear attention paid to the Brunette in their usual 30 second conversations warmed the bottom of Beca's heart. Wait, Beca realised her affection towards her step-mum and shook her head as if it would shake the absurd feelings away.

Seeing her Dad frown at her shaking her head, Beca quickly tried to justify it by saying, "You really didn't have to Sheila," and the blonde's smile dropped with concern, "But I love them and I won't be giving them back!" Beca quickly added in order to prevent any upset in the now-beaming-again adult.

Beca opened her other gifts, which included a new pair of black skinnies from her real Mum, £75 in cheques from various grandparents, a £25 gift card for the book store from her Aunt & Uncle (they're both lawyers, so intellectuals, therefore they don't realise things called books online exist, Beca thought to herself, while still appreciating the fact she could put this to use) and a few funny t-shirts and a beanie from her older cousins in Yorkshire. One of the t-shirts read 'More Issues Than Vogue', another said 'Blame Society' and the third had (a quote she recognised from famous - and stunning - actress Cara Delevingne) 'WTF: Where's The Food?' along with the black beanie with 'STAY WEIRD' written in white block capitals but back-to-front (like a reflection). Beca chuckled at them in turn as her Dad looked over with a slight frown of disapproval at the messages, but caught Sheila's eye before he could object. They obviously had an eye conversation where she convinced him not to start an argument, Beca decided.

Just before the two were going to leave (as Sheila still had her yogalates ahead..) her Dad cleared his throat loudly, causing Beca to jump and look up at him.

"Oh yeah, one more thing," he stepped forward and brought his hand from behind his back to drop a large plain white envelope into his daughter's lap. She felt the weight of it as she picked it up and, confused, picked it up. She poked her finger underneath the corner, slid across and opened it. Tipping it upside down, a variety of objects thudded onto her bed covers. Her eyes widen to their fullest extent and her mouth dropped open as she stared at it all. On her lay three objects, plus some documentation on a few pieces of paper. The first, was like a credit card, but when she picked it up it had her hideous pale passport photo (taken a few months beforehand on a day when her Dad took her to town feeling ill, so what would normally be her looking like a zombie turned out to be her looking like a gormless and even paler zombie) along with her name, DOB and other information. She flipped it over and eyed the tickboxes next to certain names of types of vehicle.

"It's a provisional driving license, Beca," her Dad explained, "it means you can legally drive a motorcycle once you've taken the necessary training." She gaped, surprised at what was happening and the fact her Dad actually listened to her having said she wanted a motorbike when she could legally have one. Then her eyes strayed from her hand and the license to the bigger, clunkier object as her brain pieced it all together. It clinked as she picked it up with her other hand's index finger and thumb.

"Is this for.." She looked over at her Dad and Sheila, "Are..are these keys for..umm..a vehicle of some kind? Perhaps with two wheels?" She grinned cheekily as she knew the answer already.

"Well..actually we just got you keys with a Honda keyring in order to help you focus on your goals and future." He chuckled at his joke and his belly wobbled a little before sighing and replying seriously at the now expressionless, clearly unimpressed girl, "Yes, yes you have a bike. BUT," he added seeing Beca's excitement, "you can't ride it until you've passed the CBT (Compulsory Basic Training). I've booked you in to learn and do it all tomorrow. And in the meantime, you may want to watch and read a bit on it all so you're guaranteed a pass." She looked down to her lap, understanding what the paper work was for (her information on the following day's class) and the DVD on 'Road Understanding With A Guidebook To Help On Your Journey'.

"Wow..I mean, I'm speechless guys, this is amazing!" She beamed at the two, which was an equivalent to a hug in their standards, and Sheila & Benjamin beamed back.

"Well, we actually needed your signature and a recent passport-style photo to send off for the provisional license," Benjamin added hastily, "So Sheila cleverly made you sign the form by telling you it was for..what was it dear?" He turned to the blonde. She piped up immediately, "Oh yes, I said it was a form for if you didn't want to be able to be given additional work times on a Sunday for school!"

Dr Mitchell chuckled again, "Ah yes, we knew you'd sign to avoid that! And then I took you for your passport photo when you were off from school ill and couldn't give me an excuse not to do it. Despite your passport not needing an update for another 6 months!" Beca her rolled her eyes at the two idiots before her being so proud of their deceit.

"Well, thanks for all this. It's seriously cool you two. When will I see my bike?" She couldn't help asking, she was admittedly excited about this.

"You've actually technically already seen it, or admired it through the shop window I should say," Sheila laughed.

Her Dad added, "You'll get to see it tomorrow, kiddo. S'all a surprise until then. Now, Sheila's gotta get to her fitness, I've got some referrals to get done so will be in the study, what are you gonna get up to?"

Beca paused, taken aback by the question, "Err..I dunno. I guess I'll see what everyone else is doing after having a go with these bad boys," she said tapping the headphones on her bed and grinning.

"Okay cool," both the adults replied before saying their good byes and leaving Beca to it. She stretched, yawned and slid out of bed. On her way to the bathroom, she swiped up her towels, make-up bag and hairbrush with one arm and swept the wrapping paper and other ripped packaging into her bin by her door before striding out the room and across the landing.

* * *

 **40 Minutes Later**

Once back in her room, the brunette dumped her damp towels and other bathroom-belongings on the floor as she walked over to her desk to switch her laptop on. She collected the towels back up and put them in the laundry basket, while tidying away her presents (other than the 'WTF' t-shirt and black skinny jeans) all before her weary pc finished loading up. She then logged on, got changed into the white t-shirt with that iconic black writing, the black jeans, some dark grey ankle socks and all her jewellery as Facebook loaded up. Finally, she plopped down into the spinny chair at her desk and started typing into google honda motorbikes on a separate tab when a familiar ping sounded. Surprised, Beca went onto the now-loaded Facebook to find 5 messages, about 12 notifications and one..friend request. First, she dealt with the notifications - which were birthday messages on her timeline. She politely typed 'thanks' and 'thank yous' to the emotionless posts from fellow classmates who hardly knew this introvert teenager, but had obviously been notified that morning. When that was done (which was only a few minutes as Beca wasn't popular or well-known enough, despite most of Barden 6th form being students from her years 7 - 11) she clicked on the messages. First, was from Benji and read:

 _Hi Beca, happy birthday! Hope it's cool, maybe we can all hang out again soon?_

Beca typed a reply at speed at sent it:

 _Thanks Benji! Yeah, that'd be cool. I'll ask the group chat with us all there :)_

Benji replied instantly:

 _Cool :)_

Beca quickly went to the group chat, skimmed through the nerdy star wars chat the other three had been having the previous night (another unread set of messages Facebook had alerted her with) and typed a message, waiting for replies:

 _Hey you lot, wanna hang out soon?_

 _Benji: Yeah (bet you didn't see that coming ;P)_

 _Beca: Not at all!_

 _Benji: The other two were on earlier, should I text and ask?_

 _Beca: Nahhh, no rush._

 _Beca: Let's let 'em have a break from worshipping us ;)_

 _Benji: Ahaha, if you insist!_

Beca was impressed at how much Benji had developed his confidence with her (and presumably the others) despite it only having been a few days. However, she thought it best not to mention this and embarrass him so, when Jesse and Emily didn't reply and the conversation had stopped, she returned to her personal unread messages.

Next, was one from Emily this morning:

 _Hey Beca, it's your birthday! Hope you have a great day, maybe you wanna do something with us all tonight? I have dancing this morning, but I'll be free later I know Benji should be and I think Jesse will too! Xx_

 _Beca: Hi Em, thanks for the message, and yeah Benji's asked too, I'd love to do something later :) Lemme know when you've finished dancing and prancing around (joke XD) and we can arrange something._

The next, and penultimate, message to be read was sent at 2 minutes past midnight and Beca rolled her as she noted this and clicked on it..

 _BECAW! I SET AN ALARM SO I DIDN'T MISS THIS AND GET TOO INTO MY GAME, SO WITHOUT-FURTHER-ADO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, YOU SMELL LIKE A POO, HAPPY TO YOU, YOU SHOULD GET FLUSHED DOWN THE LOO. You like my cool original song? ;) Soo 17 year old, you gonna drive your younger friends around anywhere later?_

 _Beca: Aha, firstly, I'm NOT called 'Becaw'. Secondly, why am I friends with a nerd who plays pc games at stupid hours?! Thirdly, you must be great at BOTH health & social AND food tech with your logic of flushing shit down the toilet..but yes, yes I do love the song (despite it lacking a couple of verses XD). Now, as for that last comment..why do I have to sound like such a pedo for being older than you guys?! Oh and hate to burst your bubble etc but when you turn 17 you don't just get a driving license and car..but yeah I wouldn't mind hanging out with you weirdos when Em's outta dance._

Beca sighed at her weird friend and couldn't help but smile at his immaturity and childish humour - she'd never say it but he was probably her best friend.. Her thoughts were interrupted with a ping again.

 _Jesse: Right..I'm gonna ignore your first point Becaw ;) And I'll have you know it was a non-nerdy game (Space Invaders!), and yes that is why I am top of my classes XD As for 'pedo', you said it not me... jus' kiddin'._

 _Beca: And what about the idea of meeting up.._

 _Jesse: Oooh I dunno..I guess I can grace you guys with my presence for a bit ;)_

 _Beca: 'For a bit'? Something more important than the celebration of me getting closer to my death-day Swanson?_

 _Jesse: If you must know..I have a date with a lady called 'Cynthia'. She's apparently very good company ;)_

 _Beca: Gross dude! I don't wanna know about the porn you watch.._

 _Jesse: AHAHA_

 _Jesse: Actually, Cynthia is the name of my 4 year-old cousin, she's visiting in an hour for a bit with my Aunt._

 _Beca: Oh god.._

 _Beca: 1. I'm sorry but 2. WHY THE FUCK DID YOUR AUNT CALL HER DAUGHTER A PORN STAR/STRIPPER NAME?!_

 _Jesse: Well..my Aunt kinda named her after a colleague and friend from her previous job..which happened to be dancing erotically at a strip bar ;)_

 _Beca: Err..why are you telling me this? All I wanted to know is about later..now I'm scarred for life!_

 _Jesse: Aha sorry to blind/scar you with my incredible family tree ;P Yeah I'll be free in probably a couple of hours, they should be here in a couple of mins_

 _Beca: Okayy cool, speak on group chat later?_

 _Jesse: Scratch that, they're here now it seems. Yeah sure, bye Becaww_

 _Beca: Yup, Beca-out ;)_

Beca stared at the screen as the blush started to grow across her cheeks..why the fuck did she just type 'Beca-out' she thought before realisation dawned; oh God, she thought, I'm turning into the goofball I was talking to!

Before allowing herself to think to much into this Beca went back to see who the last unread message was from. Sent at EXACTLY midnight on 28th October (so, Beca's birthday) was a message from none other than her 'English buddy' Stacie. Beca's eyes widened in shock and surprise at this as she clicked to see what it read.

 _Stacie: Hey Becs, I actually was just wondering if you perhaps wanted to hang out over these hols, and saw how it's also your birthday today and thought it would be a brilliant excuse for us to, you know, meet up! So what d'ya say? (happy 17th too, by the way!) Xx_

 _Beca: Wow Stacie I'm impressed with your skills at pressing send EXACTLY at midnight..congrats ;) You know, normally 'course I'd say no to hanging out with people who cheat off my work in lessons but because of the effort you've gone to..yes?_

 _Beca: I better not regret that agreement XD_

Sighing, the short brunette slumped back in her comfy swivel chair, allowing the leather to envelop her with its soft and smooth comfort. Not only was it one of the most comfiest pieces of furniture in Beca's bedroom, it was also the only white one. She had chosen to stick to her preferred pallet of darker greys and blacks when decorating the two years beforehand when her Dad and newly-acquired-at-the-time step-mother moved in.

The thick and soft carpet which swallowed almost the whole of Beca's feet was charcoal black, and went well with the smokey grey walls. The double-bed frame was also black and had the engraved pattern of wood, which matched completely with the bedside table and wardrobe. The desk, however, had a glass top and silver steel legs curving to balance the weight. Even Beca's blind over her long 3.5 metre window (almost covering the entire length of the wall and giving a..detailed view of the street at the front of the house) was dark grey to match the walls. The bookshelves were a pigeon grey (so slightly lighter than the walls, but only because Beca hadn't wanted the books to look like they were hovering in mid-air, as she found that spooky when she was younger) and this was an equal shade to the silver colour of the lid of her HP laptop on her desk (which had a black keyboard and rim however) and also matching utensils such as the pen holder & tray for books & letters. This pigeon grey also was the description for Beca's speakers on her desk, small keyboard, synth, AND her brand-new headphones. The brightest thing she could see in her room as her eyes glanced around (other than her swivel chair of course) and perhaps the pale grey bean-bag shaped like an armchair in the corner would be the bright red converse high-tops in her messy stack of shoes by her door. Even her bin and wicker laundry basket were black! Beca snorted as she realised this all and had an insight into how little she had changed - including in height - since year 10 as a 14-15 year old.

*ping*

Beca jumped at the sound so much so that she nearly spun off the chair and onto a heap on the ground. However, she luckily didn't lose her composure too much, until she saw the message she had received and read it.

 _Stacie: I don't cheat! I simply check we're both on the right lines before putting my answer down ;) And you won't regret it! Quick question though, Chloe wants to know why you haven't responded to her friend request? Xx_

Stunned Beca just stared at the screen, not even trying to type an answer to the fellow brunette.

 _Stacie: Do you remember her? She was the ginger from my group of friends you saw on Saturday in BTP. She said yesterday to me how she thought you were cool and had sent you a friend request but hadn't gotten an answer yet.._

Beca, seeing this, snapped to attention and started her excuse (which was genuine).

 _Beca: No no! I remember her, don't worry! I personally think we got on too, the reason for not becoming Facebook friends/'buddies' yet was because I haven't been on Facebook since Saturday. I came on today to check through messages etc and got distracted doing that compared to checking the rest of my notifications._

She moved her connected mouse to click on friend requests and accepted the ginger's immediately after squinting at the tiny picture to see the familiar pointed face. Sure enough, the announcement appeared on the News Feed and Beca got a message:

 _Stacie: Yay, I've inspired a friendship on fb! Maybe in the real world too? Xx_

 _Beca: 'Real world'?_

 _Stacie: Yeah, can she join us when we hang out? She seems pretty eager. Xx_

Beca blushed as she re-read the last part of Stacie's most recent message, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach.

 _Stacie: Oops, seems I wasn't supposed to tell you that last bit - she's now hitting my arm with a book! Xx_

 _Beca: Aha, it's cool. I get the groupies all the time. So long as I haven't just gained a stalker on Facebook?_

 _Stacie: Umm..can't say no to that ;D_

 _Beca: Ahaha, ah well I ain't complainin' ;)_

 _Stacie: Sooo..when you free? Xx_

Beca pondered on this for a minute, but knew it would be a dick move to cancel on her other friends tonight so decided against it (despite the disappointment ebbing at her heart because of this). She was confused why she would feel upset about not being able to hang out with Stacie and her friends immediately..she understood how Stacie was hot, but Beca wasn't the type to prioritise friends in a vain manner. So what could it be she wondered..before realising she needed to reply.

 _Beca: Well..I'm hanging out with a few friends in a couple of hours, and am busy the whole of tomorrow during the day, plus Saturday & Sunday I'll be cramming in all my homework which I should've done two weeks ago..so outta what's left what's good for you?_

Facebook showed Stacie had seen the message but wasn't typing and Beca chuckled to herself as she understood the pause would be Stacie pondering on which days Beca was therefore free. Beca decided to help her out a bit:

 _Beca: (That means I'm free maybe this evening, tomorrow evening, Thurs & Fri XD)_

 _Stacie: I knew that! I was checking with Chloe when she could make. Xx_

 _Beca: Oh okay..if you say so ;)_

 _Stacie: I'm going to pretend you didn't say that shortie! Chloe and I could both make tomorrow night-Thurs if you want? Xx_

 _Beca: By '-' do you mean no gap in between and a full run?_

 _Stacie: 'Full run' haha yup, I think it's called a sleepover by normal teens..? D_

 _Beca: Umm..sure I can probably do that. I'm gonna need details because I'm not a stalker (like this 'Chloe' you speak of!)_

 _Stacie: Yeah sure, 'Chloe' seems to be mad and trying to kill me with a book so I'll send it to you later/tomorrow? Xx_

 _Beca: Cool, have fun dying! Oh and Chloe if you see this, you can't kill her while there's proof like this on the internet ;)_

Running a hand through her drying hair, Beca sighed, registering the exchange that had just happened between her and this (relatively) popular girl. Trying not to dwell for too long, before she started wondering about the butterflies and knots in her stomach which occurred at seemingly random points of the conversation, Beca grabbed her headphones, opened the music software on her pc and plugged in her music equipment. She then started on a mash-up she was had already been working on the past week and got lost in the bass mixing with the harmony..

 _"You want it_

 _You got it_

 _Ugh you want it_

 _You got it_

 _Just bust a move!"_

* * *

 **1hr 15 Minutes Later**

Still in the zone, her brow furrowed and her bottom lip clamped tightly between her teeth in concentration. Her twig-like fingers tapped with furious speed at the synth board to her right while she glanced frequently at what was appearing on her screen and then closing her eyes to listen to the bass line being produced. When she finished tapping she sighed and leaned back stretching her arms above her head as she listened to her track repeat its loop - eyes closed, analysing. Her head nodded and her toe tapped in time to the tune as a hum escaped her lips for the harmony when her teeth released the throbbing lip. When the track ended, she didn't stop it, she simply grinned as it replayed - content with her work. It wasn't perfect, but it was a good amount of progress made in such a short time. She'd make her imperfections, but her eyes were starting to feel fuzzy and her stomach was growling so Beca hopped up, placing her headphones on her desk and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. The mash-up still blared through in a tiny squeak to keep the room filled with life while the girl was absent - she always liked the thought that her room had sort-of emotions and should be treated fairly, so kept company when necessary. That reminded Beca to drag out a quiet CD to put on repeat for when her, Stacie & Chloe were to hang out and have a sleepover thing.

The small brunette stopped in her tracks in front of the fridge to realise how weird she was treating her room like a fucking baby or something. The light from the fridge and cold air blasted the teenager in the face as it opened, and she welcomed it as all her concentration in her stuffy bedroom caused her to heat up a substantial amount. Reaching forward, her small yet slim hands grasped a cool water bottle with condensation drops smothered along the outside plastic. She placed it on the marble counter beside the fridge before then grabbing a pot of strawberry jam and the butter. She bumped the fridge closed with her foot as she made her way towards the bread bin and placed the cold objects on the surface beside it. She then lifted the lid of the bread bin, delved her hand in and retrieved a soft and already sliced loaf. Opening a cupboard above her head and grabbing a plate instinctively with one hand while pulling open a draw of cutlery for a knife and spoon with the other, Beca let her thoughts wander to how she could persuade her Dad to let her go out the following night with friends she'd only just properly become friends with and had never mentioned to her fellow housemates before..

She concluded, while using the knife to butter the two slices of bread she'd picked up from inside the bag and dropped carelessly onto her plate, that the best option if he got defensive that she was at least socialising (for once) and with not only a popular girl - who would be seen to guaranteeing doing Beca some good in his eyes on the social scale - but also one whom she sat by in TOP SET English so MUST be clever. This last part was an obvious lie about Stacie, and Beca didn't actually understand HOW the tall girl got into their set. Unless she cheated in her exams last year..or maybe Stacie's one of those people who seem stupid but always over-achieve majorly in tests? Beca snorted at this thought and quickly dismissed it, Stacie will have found a way with money, attractiveness and flirtation the bemused teenager thought. Maybe she'd ask her? Beca's skilfull hands were now plopping jam out of the spoon in lumps onto the bread before spreading it with the back across the entire slice messily. Once she had finished spreading, she dipped the spoon in the jam jar, put the dollop in her mouth (which clamped shut to hold the spoon in place while sucking the strawberry off) and started to put the bread, butter and pot of jam away. She lastly went over to the sink to wash the knife and spoon before grabbing the chilled water bottle in one hand, and balance the plate with two jammed single-slice sandwiches atop the other.

Grinning hungrily, Beca decided she couldn't wait long enough to walk to her room and chose to sit at the table in the dining room next to and branching into the kitchen. It was an arch between the two rooms, meaning there were no doors the multi-tasking 17 year old had to open. Hooking her ankle around a wooden leg, Beca spun the chair out from under the table to sit and placed her snack and refreshment on the table. She figured that, as her Dad was working in his study, and Sheila would be out still having coffees and a gossip with the ladies from her yogalates class she'd be able to eat in peace. However, she was in fact incorrect..

"So, how's your birthday goin' so far?" The deep voice echoed in the room and Beca glanced up, finishing the first mouthful of bread, butter and jam before replying to the man.

"Yeah, umm.." she placed her slice back on the plate and took a sip of water from the bottle before continuing, "it's been cool. I've just been working on arrangement with those headphones. They're seriously great - thanks again..especially to Sheila for remembering."

"No problem, she does care and try hard to show that to you, you know," Dr Mitchell smiles tentatively at his daughter, though with a hint of anxiousness towards the chance of a row arising. But Beca knows her Dad'll never agree about tomorrow if they argued - and for some reason she REALLY wanted to go.

"Yeah, you're right. I should probably give her a bit more credit," Beca forced a tight smile on to keep up the act, noticing her Dad's taken-aback expression she decides to jump in and ask, "So, umm, I was talking to some friends and have been wondering if I can confirm some plans with you..and Sheila?"

"Err..depends. Who with, to do what, when, etc - you know the drill," he smiles to Beca, who thinks for a second (as if she hadn't planned already before saying.

"Well, later today Benji, Emily & Jesse want to hang out and go to town or something - you know, that kind of chilled thing. And the-"

Beca's Dad interrupted, "Like a double-date sort of thing?" Beca couldn't help but laughing and replying in between breaths and fits of exclamation, "Nooooo...Dad..they're complete and utter nerds! They..wouldn't know what a date was if someone..LITERALLY wrote it on a sign and followed them around all day."

Embarrassed at his misunderstanding, Benjamin chuckled himself nervously before responding, "Ahh well that'll be fine, was there anything else? You said 'plans' plural, right?"

Calmer now, Beca responded smoothly, "Oh yeah, well Stacie and Chloe have asked me if I wanna hang out with them tomorrow evening as a sleepover sort of thing and on Thursday too. Can I go?"

"Who-"

"Oh Stacie Conrad is the really clever girl I sit by in English - I mentioned her to you.." Beca brought in her acting skills,"..or maybe Sheila. Anyhow, her and Chloe Beale (who goes to Walton Secondary School) and is top of her year group saw me with the others on Saturday in town and we all hung out for a while. Well, seems the 'cool kids' like me because they asked me again!" Beca jokes at the end and makes the edges of her Dad's smile rise a little.

"Well," Beca tenses as she waits for her Dad's verdict, "I'll have to talk to Sheila - some of her friends are mums of Walton girls and will maybe know this..Chloe Beale, but if she says good stuff then I don't see why not. Just you know the drill of remember your phone, keys, money for food and don't talk to randomers or be out too late." Pleased, Beca jumped up and squeezed her Dad tight into a hug. Before the shell-shocked father could react though, Beca came to realisation and immediately stepped back several paces, "Err..yeah..thanks Dad," Beca looked awkwardly at the ground.

"Umm..yeah no problem, kiddo.." He turned and walked out the room, letting the awkward atmosphere slowly diffuse.

Beca sat back down and proceeded to eat. Her thoughts drifted to the fact that she'd always found her Dad oddly strict. She'd expected him to become easier going with the guidelines (like being back before dark and no frequent socialising - not that Beca needed that last one) as she got older, but they never did. She understood that other 16 and 17 year olds got up to whatever they wanted, but her Dad didn't like to trust people. Maybe it was because of all the patients he got lying just to get prescriptions, or maybe his relationship with Beca's Mum. Either way, he didn't trust Beca and so decided, instead of letting her make mistakes and then get yelled at like with most parents, he just exuded super-control in all areas and tried all he could to not let her get into a position of making a mistake. Beca thought this stupid, and unfair, but whenever she'd brought it up (which was many times) there'd be a blazing row which would only result in the reigns being tightened in their family. Therefore, she was nervous asking about meeting up with friends and then to have an overnight meet-up with people he didn't even know and had never heard of! Huffing, Beca stood and strode to the sink to wash her now-empty plate as she proceeded to think, annoyed, about how all the other people she knew did basically what they wanted when they wanted and their parents didn't particularly give a shit because they were teenagers once too, right?! But no, she had to have the Dad who was all strict and no-fun = no-danger. Dejectedly, Beca sighed and accepted that it was what it was as she trudged with her water up to her room.

* * *

 **1hr 10 Minutes Later (approx.)**

Beca's small red converse high-tops splashed through the low-lying puddles on the plain concrete as she marched with her small skinny-jeaned legs at top speed. She flipped her phone out to check the time before looking at the road names and signs around her. Old and expensive-looking red-bricked houses towered up above the short girl as she started to panic about being lost. Then, she heard a shout from up high and spun to see a familiar tanned hand sticking out of a small window and voice shouting her name. Jesse's calls came from the third floor of a house a couple of hundred metres from Beca, and she jogged to the door of it, taking a breath and second to compose herself before knocking.

However, before her knuckle reached the brass lion knocker hung on the deep green wood of the door, it swung upon and a blur of red, white and black flung themselves into the taken-aback Beca.

"Hey..Em," Beca gasped as the wind was knocked from her lungs. She stared into the wide furnished hallways and at the many doors leading into unknown territory to the small brunette, and the large staircase leading upwards. She gained enough oxygen to say to the younger girl as she was released from the embrace, "Your house looks incredible. I mean..wow."

Emily beamed with pride, "Thanks! It's not that great actually and it's so old it's always falling apart and constantly needs repairs. Come in and see the others. They're in the games room." Beca followed Emily back in, rolling her eyes subtly at the other girl's casual use of 'games room' while she undid her long-laced shoes. Finally, the pair made their way up the stairs, Beca taking in with wide eyes and gasps of 'whoa' the amount of famous, and obviously pricey, art on the walls and furniture in rooms she could see through open doorways. Emily casually listed the rooms as they passed, include the usuals like 'parents room' and 'bathroom' (even if it's the third ON THAT FLOOR..) but then also others like 'music room', 'movie room' (with a projector and blank full wall 12 feet wide, 8 feet tall), chill-out room (which Beca had to not laugh at when she wondered to herself, if there was a 'chill-out room', what were rooms for music and movies for?!) and - finally - 'games room'. This was a spacious room with a variety of beanbags and proper desk chairs. There was a huge plasma screen linked to a huge array of game consoles - including an Xbox One & a PS4, with shelves upon shelves of games - ranging from Call Of Duty to Halo to Fifa. Beca's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her eye sockets as she took the rich girl's spoils all in, "This..is..it's heaven!" She breathed slowly to keep calm and try to snap out of the shock.

Emily chuckled, "Thank my older brother, Matthew, he took years collecting these but has now buggered off to have a life at uni - leaving it all here."

"Thank you very VERY much, Matt," Jesse joined in as he looked over to see the girls in the room. Beca came over to sit on a royal blue beanbag by the two boys. Benji was intently playing GTA 5 while Jesse watched, randomly shouting commands (which Beca noted to be wrong anyhow) as Benji foolishly obeyed and failed. This was followed by Jesse then patting Benji on the back patronisingly and simply telling him he should've listened.

Beca got sick of this after a few tries and eventually, with a roll of her eyes, motioned for the controller from Benji while saying to Jesse, "THIS is how you complete it." With a confident smug, Beca took the controls, made a few adjustments to the settings and swapped places with Benji to take centre stage before starting the game.

* * *

 **20 Minutes Later ( & Several Missions Further)**

Jesse sat silently, slightly in awe at the small girl's talent, slightly in fear after the threat she made if he didn't shut up last time. Emily and Benji watched while chatting a little behind and Beca was intent on the screen, instinctively altering her fingers' positions to work the controls and the man on the screen to her advantage. Once another part was successfully passed, Jesse chose the opportunity to speak.

"How THE HELL are you so damn good at this game? I mean, I didn't know you were a gamer - you've never seemed interested in our talks about 'em."

Beca started the new part before continuing, "I'm not. I actually kinda hate a lot of them for their sexism and inaccuracy etc - especially this one," she took her time aiming and shot a prostitute from a fair distance, in order to create a distraction to steal a car, "But in the Summer holidays I tend to go see relatives, and last year I had to go with my Dad and step-mum up to Yorkshire to stay with my Aunt, Uncle & cousins for a week and a bit. It was raining tons, and there was basically nothing to do because my Dad didn't want me wandering round - it was the dodgy area supposedly filled with pedos," Beca rolled her eyes about her Dad's over-protective nature, "So I was forced to spend a **longgg** amount of time with my cousins. They're all male, and all aged from 19 to 27, and all..losers wasting their adult lives away. This meant I had to sit while they played these games and at one point I made a remark saying how I bet it was easy enough for even idiots like them to teach me. And it was, because they did. Soo..," Beca concluded with a heave as she ran a man over in her acquired 4x4 truck and drove onto the rocky landscape to lose the police chasing her, "I became epic at it." She grinned and glanced over at Jesse before narrowly swirving away from a tree, making him chuckle.

Jesse glanced behind and looked back at Beca, "Umm..the other two have gone."

Beca chuckled this time, "Just leave 'em. I'm sure they'll be back after..getting food or something."

"Gettin' something, that's for sure," Jesse snickered childishly, but adorably, "this game ain't gonna be the only action occuring in this house today." He winked at Beca as she sighed in acceptance of what he was hinting about their two companions.

"Lucky them.." Beca wistfully whispered under her breath to herself, but Jesse heard. He looked over at his small friend and grinned a little - he was now determined to know what was on Beca Mitchell's mind.


	4. Two Can Keep The Secrets

**A/N Hey guys, I thought I'd start on the next chapter while I have all the inspiration & ideas floating around for the story's development.**

 **Anyhow, enjoy this chapter! (sorry for the slightly longer wait :/). It's an extra-long one though and an amount of escalation occurs.**

* * *

 **Wednesday Morning**

Groaning, Beca scrunched her eyes tightly shut before opening them to adjust to the bright light streaming in through the doorway past her Father's broad figure.

"Rise and shine, kiddo. Today's the day of your CBT!" He exclaimed joyously, almost as if he was the one getting his first ever vehicle out of the day's events rather than the half-asleep and yawning teenager before him.

"Okay, okay," Beca croaked in her grovelling morning voice as she swung her legs from the warmth of her covers and into the frosty morning air circulating her room. She looked at the time on the glowing clock standing on her bedside table.

"IT'S 6AM!" She shrieked, looking incredulously at her chuckling Dad.

"Aha, yeah but I knew you'd want a shower as you will be staying at your friend's tonight..Stacie's right?" Beca nodded mutely in response as he proceeded with his explanation, "And you need to pack your things to take with as I'll drop you at hers straight after your training. It'll be finishing at 5.30pm probably, and it's an hour drive at rush hour soo..we should get you to hers by 6.30/45 - that good?"

Again, the small brunette nodded, and Dr Mitchell left Beca to get ready for the day ahead. She was known to her Dad for not being a morning person (in the slightest..) and was best left to let herself ease into the day and gain a good mood for the remainder of her time.

Within 10 minutes, Beca had dragged out a black and grey rucksack from the back of her wardrobe, and was carelessly flinging toiletries and certain items of clothing (plus a phone charger & her new headphones) onto the bed next to it. Before she sorted through the stuff and actually packed it, the small brunette grabbed her stuff for the bathroom and headed across the landing.

* * *

 **7 Minutes Later**

The girl welcomed the cold droplets of water as they touched her clammy skin and washed the grime away as they trickled down her slim frame and into the plug hole. A smile crept onto her lips as she used her fingers to slowly massage the cooling shampoo into her scalp before washing the bubbles away. After applying and washing out another layer of fruity shampoo, plus conditioner, Beca stepped out the shower and toweled off at speed. Once her more subtle application of mascara and eyeliner were on (she would put a more prominent amount on after her training), she set about dealing with her hair.

For the nature of the day, Beca thought it appropriate to do the hair-do with her wavy locks drying naturally further back, but remaining pushed out of her face with the two strands either side of her pale face pulled back into a half updo and secured with a clip in her make-up bag. Shrugging at the casual look, the teenager reckoned it would do the job for the training, and be easy to fix/change for her time socialising later.

Purposefully, Beca strode back into her room to toss her make-up bag with her hairbrush and other small accessories into the pile on her bed. Then, after checking her laptop for messages (and scrawling down the address & mobile number Stacie had sent her on Facebook the previous evening), she set about shoving the items into her rucksack. At the bottom of the main compartment she put clothes for the following day - this comprised of a baggy 3/4 length-sleeved black and white typical baseball tee, a pair of ripped/frayed dark blue skinnies, a fresh set of underwear, another pair of black ankle socks, and her new beanie. On top of that was her make-up and toiletry bags. And finally, and most importantly, Beca put her keys, charger, headphones and a wad of cash in the securely zipped-up and separate middle compartment. After some thought, the brunette decided that was all she should need - especially as she could simply wear her pair of grey-blue converse high-tops for the day ahead and night/day to follow.

Still sleepily, Beca grabbed her phone and shoved it in her back pocket before throwing her rucksack onto one shoulder and snatching the paperwork/provisional driving license card into one hand, and her shoes in the other. Slowly, she plodded down the stairs to meet her Dad and set the day's plans into motion.

 **5.28pm (In The Car Park Outside The Centre For Motorcycle Training)**

The symphony quietly hummed in the background as various string and wind instruments chime in for the buildup. Dr Benjamin Mitchell sat, staring intently through his rimless glasses at the scrunched-up newspaper spread across his hands and the steering wheel of the black Audi A8. He had gone for a walk and eaten a sandwich for lunch in a local café earlier before returning to the car to keep himself busy in the now-toasty warm vehicle. The car had a good heating and conditioning system, along with surround sound, a leather interior, and even heated front seats.. But, after all, Beca's Dad was a successful surgeon/doctor who'd been in the business for MANY years and made his way up the ladder of wages slowly in order to get to the comfortable point he was at. After this thought, and his chair hit maximum heat, the man went back to focusing on the crossword which was close to completion.

A few seconds later the passenger door swung open, causing Benjamin Mitchell to jump out of his skin as his heart hit the roof of his mouth. The girl slid onto the seat, reaching to drop the helmet and leather jacket he'd bought her for riding safety onto the set of seats behind them. Next, she closed her door, clipped on her seat belt and adjusted the dials for her seat to remain cool. Finally, her dark blue orbs met his brown and rather alarmed ones.

"Beca..err..how'd it all go then?" He searched her blank expression for any signs of upset or disappointment.

She smiled.

He took a relieved breath as she nodded and replied, "Great actually. I LOVE the bike - it's perfect for me. Thanks Dad..oh and I apparently scored one of the highest results you can get - especially in the theory test."

Grinning widely, and slightly toothily, Beca's Dad folds up the newspaper and tucks into the side of the door before starting the engine and rolling out.

"Err..Dad," Beca started nervously, "What about my bike..?"

Chuckling, he replied, "Oh don't worry. YOUR motorbike is at home in the garage under a safe cover. The one you rode today was just an identical model so you could get a feel for it without us hassling with travel arrangements."

"Ahh," his daughter replied at ease. She then pulled her phone out and typed a quick text to Stacie saying she'd be there in about 50 minutes, as they'd been on the road already for 10. Surprisingly, it was quite clear..though the road going the other way was blocked full of impatient and exhausted people with their crappy cars, having had a long day at their minimum-waged jobs. Leaning forward slightly to allow her short arms the ability to reach, Beca switched from the classical radio to a CD at her side (David Guetta - Nothing But The Beat CD 1). As the first song's melody transferred to pick up with the bass, the teenager snuck a glance to check her Dad was still in a good mood and smiling goofily before she slowly spun the volume dial up. Sighing, she leaned back and closed her eyes as the cool air-conditioning and music hit her welcoming face.

* * *

 **45 Minutes Later**

"Beca..wake up! We're here."

The teenager stirred at the sound of her Dad's voice.

"Are you too tired to see Stacie & Chloe today? We can go home if you need to rest."

At this, Beca's eyes automatically shot open and she replied with a slightly higher-pitched voice which was full of energy, "Noo noo I'm fine, I really want the opportunity to make even more friends, you know?" Satisfied with this response, Beca's Dad nodded and looked at the little piece of paper with Beca's scrawled writing on.

"According to this address..that house over there is the one." Dr Mitchell pointed through the car windscreen at the house to the left with a bright red door. Beca looked out the window at the unexpectedly mediocre house. It had a pretty white porch and the whole house was painted a light turquoise outside. It had a clear ground floor, floor above that and then windows on the tilted roof suggesting that Stacie's family had converted the loft into an extra floor. Beca's hand subconsciously pulled the lever for the car door to open and she stepped out. She then grabbed her rucksack from the boot of the car and the leather jacket (which she put on to fight the sharp breeze) from the seats behind the passenger and driver's.

"Thanks for..everything Dad. This is all really cool of you." Beca smiled and leaned into the car to see her Father beaming warmly back at her.

"Have fun, kiddo. But remember, no strange boys, okay?"

Beca snorted before saying carefully, "You don't need to worry about it Dad..I plan on having tons of fun without even having to THINK of boys." She smiled sweetly (and superficially) as her Dad said good bye and drove off. The girl then spun on her converse-covered heel and headed up the steps to the house. She could hear the doorbell chime melodically through the house when her short nail applied pressure on the button, and giggling voices became louder before the door swung open and Beca was dragged into the warm light of the hallway.

"Becaaa!" Stacie cooed as she pulled the awkward and blushing classmate in for a quick yet tight hug. She then released and grabbed Beca's wrist to lead her through the house while saying, "Chloe will be another 40 minutes or so, which means we have time to get ready. But first, you should meet Mummy & Daddy." Beca nearly snorted at the tall girl's cute childish pronunciation of 'Mummy & Daddy' as her ears picked up murmured yet friendly-seeming conversation in what appeared to be a cream and tiled kitchen. A tall, well-built man in a Ralph Lauren cardigan and cream chinos stood up from a table at the sight of the girls' entering. Beca noted the friendly smile playing on his lips through his thick stubble which matched the dark, dark brown of his hair. Next to him stood a thin, also brunette like Stacie, woman. She was wearing an olive green tight dress to bring emphasis to her bright red lip-sticked mouth. She smiled hugely and comfortingly at the new arrivals.

"Welcome, Beca..is it?" Stacie's Mum called, before adding after Beca nodded, "Well it's a delight to have you over. Call me Angie, and this is Rob," she gestured to her husband, who had approached and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist calmly.

"Pleased to meet you Angie, Rob. Thank you very much for having me," Beca politely said to the two smiling parents.

"Oh no, it's fine," Rob boomed with a deep, husky voice, "If this is how you are all the time then you're welcome here whenever!"

"Wow, that's so generous. But, with all due respect, you've only just met me." Beca replied, cautious towards their immediate trust.

"Ah but," Angie chimed in like an angel with her harmonic voice, "Anastasia has told us so much about you. Plus, we do owe you for all the English tutoring you've been giving her after school recently. Her grades, as you've probably noticed, have certainly picked up - and all thanks to you!"

Before Beca could say anything, Stacie interjected to utter a polite excuse before dragging Beca with her belongings up the stairs to the loft. The loft floor had, as Beca suspected, been refurbished and decorated as a floor equal height to the floors below. However, unlike Beca's suspicions, it was all Stacie's room - with an en suite connected to one corner of the spacious L-shaped room, and a queen-sized bed on the opposite side. Other furniture included a double-sized sofa bed (folded at that point into the sofa) with a plasma screen and Sky Box on the opposite wall. There was also a large floor-to-ceiling wardrobe stretching along the wall near the bed for about 3 metres with sliding doors and full-length mirrors on the front. There were also an assortment of 3 wicker chairs, a long desk, and a spinney leather chair with a full-back.

Taken aback, Beca gawped at the sight before her and Stacie chuckled, "Your tongue been kicked out of its house, eh?" She teased at her short friend. However, Beca recovered and had a comeback ready immediately.

"Not as far as I can tell, ANASTASIA!"

Stacie groaned and, after rolling her eyes, she met Beca's and explained, "Well, my parents are kinda..posh and old-fashioned. So, they named me Anastasia because they thought it was 'pretty and petite' - or some shit like that. However, I grew to this height by the time I was 12..so I stopped sorta feeling 'petite' and like the name I had. At first, I changed to Ana, but that didn't feel right - and for some reason teachers had trouble grasping the fact I was foreign and had the name 'Anna' minus one 'n'. That's when the book 50 shades of grey then came out..and the main character of course is called Anastasia, with the nickname of Ana. As much as I found that funny, it didn't exactly help with my reputation and the kind of guys which would approach me - hoping all the weird rumours were true. So, I googled for AGES and eventually found Stacie. And it stuck, as it's quick, and though it's technically a nickname for Anastasia, no one really makes the connection."

Beca nodded understandingly - she could see the pain that had pierced through Stacie's face when referencing the teasing and bad reputation/rumours she'd experienced as a young teen.

"I'm sorry about all the shit you've gone through. Rumours suck.." She trailed off when the tall girl's lip quivered at the mention of rumours, and Beca got the idea that there was more to the girl than giving the 'eye'. Beca's mind wandered to the thoughts that perhaps the reason Stacie actually followed the rumours about her through (and had such a shitty reputation with certain people) was because she'd given up fighting them and trying to get people to see her for the truth.

The small brunette thought it best to change the subject, "Soo..you said we'd need time to get ready before Chloe gets here. Ready for what exactly?" Stacie immediately perked up:

"Oooh!" She squealed with sudden enthusiasm, albeit a little forced, "Well, we're going out tonight. I was thinking clubbing? A kinda post-17th birthday bash, if that makes sense?"

"But won't your parents get mad?" Beca queried, thinking of the two polite and composed adults she'd met in the kitchen.

Stacie shook her head, "They don't mind so long as we don't bring randomers we just met back to fuck, or take drugs...or so long as they stay unaware," she paused to wink and cheekily smirk at Beca, making her grin back - understanding the need to hide certain things from her Dad in order to keep him happy (like Stacie's wild but really fun nature).

Stacie interrupted Beca's thoughts when she said over her shoulder as she rummaged through a section of her wardrobe, "Don't worry you can borrow some of my stuff. We're similar size, other than my legs being longer 'course, but that shouldn't interfere - my dresses are PRETTY SHORT on me..so probably mid-lower thigh on you..?" She laughed at Beca's shocked face, "Relax, those are for special occasions only where the sleazy guys don't get in!"

* * *

 **20 Minutes Later**

Black skin-tight and relatively short dresses - some with lace, some with jewels, some with layered stripes - piled high on the queen-size bed, with various black heels and wedged boots scattered on the surrounding floor. Hangers for the dresses were strewn all about the place and the two brunettes stared intently at the sight before them.

Stacie stood with one leg slightly bent and her hands on her hips, as her tilted head and pursed bright red lips speculated. Beca, on the other hand, skimmed across the clothes, grimacing at how Stacie had disregarded her current attire and was forcing her to borrow so-called 'clubbing clothes' (which was code for 'somehow acceptably slutty because you'll be dancing in the dark').

Sighing, the smaller girl said, "Ughhh..fine. I don't like jewels though - nothing fancy or that'll make me stand out. I'll try on.." Her spindly fingers picked up a velvet dress nearest to her, "This one."

Clapping with pleasure for managing to convince the grumpy introvert to participate, Stacie squealed and turned back to her wardrobe to look through other skimpy dresses as Beca walked to the en suite. Stacie had actually turned away to see if Beca trusted her enough to just change while she wasn't being watched, but - the tall girl concluded - her friend must have some serious insecurity and trust issues if she STILL wanted to change behind a door. Stacie wasn't bothered, she knew not everyone had the confidence and comfort with themselves that she'd built up over the years. Absentmindedly, her long and filed-to-perfection nails plucked a red dress off the rail. It matched her lipstick and was beautiful with the intricate design on the back - where a pattern was cut to show her slightly tanned yet also pale skin on the small of her back up to her neck. Instead of straps, the blood-red garment had a halter neck design and the remainder of its design stayed plain, to allow emphasis for the subtle design on the back and slim-fitting tight shape.

Stacie stripped off in to just her underwear, unfastening her lacy black bra to drop on the floor, before she unhooked the red dress from its hanger and heard a polite cough. Alarmed, the taller girl jumped before spinning around with the red dress held against her front. She was about to make a comment but all words died in her throat as she took in the sight before her eyes. Beca stood with the black dress outlining her slim torso before flowing into a relaxed A-line skirt. The dress was plain black with a soft velvet material, apart from the dark grey lace trim emerging from the sweetheart neckline and disguising the two thin black straps issuing support. Also, a matching dark grey (though opaque material rather than lace) created a thick waistband where the torso went in most before loosening for the A-line cut of the skirt. The dress ended a few inches above Beca's knees, still allowing the other girl the ability to admire her obvious thigh gap and slim legs. Her feet had disappeared into matching soft leather ankle boots with small, sturdy heels.

Growing uncomfortable with the silence and other girl's penetrating stares, Beca shifted her weight slowly and tried to think of something to say, "Err..is that what you're wearing? It looks..eye-catching." Stacie laughed at Beca's comment and slowly lifted her eyes back to her friend's to reply, "Yeah..well turns out I'm gonna be competing with you for the guys, eh?" This made the smaller teenager burst out laughing before she could stop herself and say, "Trust me, there's no competition on the matter of guys." Stacie frowned, confused, for a millisecond before brushing the odd statement off and lifting the dress to put on.

Stacie brown locks and slim head popped out of the wide neckline to see the girl blushing nearly as red as the dress and averting her eyes to the floor. Chuckling, Stacie decided to boldly ask and she shimmied the tight dress down her body, "You're kinda awkward with the whole undressing & nudity thing, aren't you?" She wasn't expecting an answer and searched Beca's face for any signs of her having taken offence, but found none. After a few seconds, Stacie decided to turn and focus her attention on fastening the matching red calf hair stilettos she had selected for herself. They matched the design of the dress perfectly as well by having parts of the front left uncovered with the smooth skin of her slim feet showing through.

A quiet voice pondered as it broke the silence and made the tall girl jump with surprise, "I have my reasons for it all. Trust me." This threw Stacie off completely as she was about to pursue the topic when the doorbell chimed eloquently.

"Yay!" Stacie squealed and she skipped towards the door excitedly, "I'll go get Chloe while you do whatever you want with your make-up and hair."

Beca briskly paced into the en suite with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a huge antique bath & sink set with a shower and toilet shining brightly alongside the other items. The teenager brought out her liquid eye liner and thicker mascara from her make-up bag, before pausing and also taking out her smokey-grey eye shadow. She applied all these within a few minutes, and started on her hair. It had stayed in her original style pretty well throughout the day, despite a bit of 'helmet hair' affecting her after the training, so she figured she'd start afresh. The style that sprung to mind was braiding one side and letting the other fall naturally - making a side-swept braided hairstyle. However, she didn't really have time to tightly braid so decided instead to simply do a tight side plait on one side (creating a similar effect) and leaving the other side natural. 10 minutes later the girl was staring at her reflection, noting that she could definitely look worse, but still didn't compare to tall girls like Stacie, or beautiful ones like Chloe. Wait, what? Her mind back-tracked a second as she realised what she just thought..and discarded it as simple acknowledgement for her new friend being genuinely pretty.

There was a knocking on the door and half a second later it opened. A girl entered with her eyes closed while she mockingly said through a teasing grin, "You better not be masturbating or somethi-"

Chloe's words died in her throat as she opened her eyes and saw the smaller girl in front of her, dressed edgily in black with smokey make-up and an equally edgy choice of hairstyle to round it up - and go with her large assortment of bracelets. The girl was much slimmer than Chloe had noticed at their previous encounter (probably due to a table having been between them) and she had clear muscles in her arms and legs, the ginger acknowledged. Chloe took in the image before her, her eyes picking out every detail of how Beca's feet were small and in proportion with her body, and she had noticeably prominent hipbones which highlighting not only how flat her stomach must be but also how she had an ever so slightly curvaceous yet skinny body shape. All of her body went with Beca's edgy and perhaps more 'gentlemanly' personality in Chloe's opinion until her large pupils came to look at the other girl's breasts. Beca had turned to the side with a smirk playing on her lips as she zipped up her make-up bag and she was leaning over slightly, giving the awe-struck ginger an even better view. The brunette's boobs supported themselves and gave off a perky impression in the dress, as Chloe noted that it didn't look like Beca was wearing a bra, or if she was then it was strapless and definitely not going to be supportive. Her chest wasn't out of proportion to the point of it looking odd or obvious, but they were definitely slightly above average.

Once she gathered her stuff together, Beca turned to Chloe and smiled, "All done. We going soon?" She paused to subtly look the other girl up and down before adding, "That royal blue really does look stunning on you. Brings out your eyes AND hair..not-to-mention how the darker, deeper colours always compliment paler skin tones." Chloe blushed at the compliments but was still lost for words so simply looked to the ground in submission as she moved aside for Beca to slide past out the door. Sighing, she turned and followed before putting on a brave face and enthusiastically dragging the other two out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house (after saying a brief good bye to Stacie's parents now watching tv in the living room).

* * *

 **30 Minutes Later**

The neon sign 'The Galaxy' shone brightly down the narrow lane from the main road. Three sets of heels clip-clopped loudly as the three girls marched to the entrance of the club. A chunky man rose off a stool to confront the new arrivals.

"TERRY! Long time no see!" Stacie cried ecstatically as she lunged forward and hugged the grinning man.

"Damn right you are, Stace. How've you been anyhow?"

"Oh, you know, good, bad, the usual." Stacie shrugged.

Beca and Chloe stood politely as their friend and the bouncer engaged in friendly conversation and inside jokes before she said to him, "These are my friends Chloe & Beca," She gestured to them both as an introduction and Terry nodded to them both, "It was Beca's birthday yesterday and I wondered if we could maybe have a bit of a quiet celebration here..?"

"Don't see why not!" Terry responded, moving aside for the girls to pass before adding with a more sincere tone, "But nothing reckless, we got some dodgy-lookin' fellas in tonight and I didn't feel like babysitting."

Stacie called her gratification over her shoulder as she strolled in and the other two murmured polite thanks to the man as they followed more timidly. Inside the club, Beca observed her surroundings. All the walls were dark and so was the room - with an exception of a few blaring lights coming from the stage area with decks and a dj set up. On the far side of the wide room, and across the clear dancefloor the bar was positioned, with leather stools placed beside it there was the warmly lit bar. There were a few booths at the back of the room and a passage presumably leading to the toilets to their immediate left. Stacie beckoned for them to follow her over to the bar as she confidently walked over and immediately high-fived the woman behind the bar. The female bartender had long curly blonde-brown hair and twinkling green eyes. She had an amount of cute child-like freckles, which were contradicted with the lip and nose piercings. Her left arm was laced with a tattoo sleeve disappearing under where her black shirt sleeves were rolled up to, and on her right forearm she had a tattooed black & crimson red, intricate dragon. Beca immediately took a liking to this stranger due to all of this - plus the masses of piercings in their ears, and one in their tongue which showed itself when she teasingly stuck her tongue out at Stacie.

They all chatted for a while as the woman - which they were introduced to as Liz - served them each their first drink. Their first drink was a subtle vodka and elderflower cordial martini with 3 grapes added to the top. It was sweet yet had the tangy vodka aftertaste hit the back of Beca's & Chloe's throats as they knocked their drinks back. Stacie turned on the stool she sat at and sipped slowly (and seductively) as she observed the surrounding 'prey'.

"Vodka on the rocks please," Beca requested from the barmaid who replied, "Sure thing cutie," before winking and setting about fixing up the drink. Chloe watched as Beca blushed in response and raised an eyebrow.

"You an alcoholic or something..?" the ginger quizzed as the small brunette hungrily eyed up the beverage being made for her.

"Aha nooo.." Beca chuckled, focusing her attention on the girl next to her, "I just know it's not fun being the babysitter soo am sneakily giving you that job. Plus, I know at some point Stacie will try and set us all up with some strangers who are creeps and I need to have an excuse for when I punch them for trying to feel me up." Chloe giggled sweetly, warming Beca's insides with the melodic tune, and admired the brunette's sheer honesty.

Liz placed the clear liquid resting on a few pieces of ice in a glass with a garnish of lemon peel twisted on the edge in front of Beca, and Chloe decided to speak before the blonde had gone. Still looking at the smug brunette, the taller girl said boldly and with no hesitance, "I'd like a DOUBLE vodka on the rocks, please. Don't worry about the fancy lemon peel, this isn't a decoration to be stared at." She winked at the shocked small girl, who was staring with her mouth ajar as she processed the words the confident ginger had just uttered.

Within a few minutes, Chloe too had a drink in front of her, and Beca snapped out of her shock. Smirking, she said, "Oh I see how it is..you're racing me to my grave! Well..let's bring it.." And with that, the brunette tilted her head back (the lighting casting a magnificent outline of her jawline) and she downed the drink in one gulp - only wincing mildly when the stinging took affect. Deciding this game could be quite fun, Chloe did the same with her double-concentrated drink, but didn't even shiver as she welcomed the burn.

"Fine then," the brunette spoke up, "I'm gonna beat you at this-"

"No you won't," Chloe confidently interrupted, "Firstly, I can tell you don't drink regularly because of how you stared at the drinks - like you'd never seen such things available to you. Secondly," She searched the smaller girl's face for any offence taken but continued when she saw none, "You winced after technically one shot's worth of vodka mixed with ice. And lastly..I'm taller than you so natural physics, PLUS the fact I obviously have a higher tolerance from more frequent drinking means you'll have a lower tolerance than me and, furthermore, be affected by the alcohol at a quicker rate."

Instead of retorting to this smart set of evidence, the brunette simply glanced at the board on the wall's popular deals before signalling to Liz and then asking for 12 shots of tequila. The ginger's eyes widen and Beca managed to smirk in response. However, before anything more was said she noticed their other friend's absence from her original stool. She turned to look and started to say, "Where's Stacie go-" before spotting the red dress and heels on the brunette chatting to a young, well-built guy with sandy blonde hair (and what looked like blue eyes though Beca wasn't 100% sure) a few metres from the bar. Rolling her eyes, Beca turned back to Chloe as she found herself being handed a shot.

"Here's the rule," the icy blue eyes and orange locks explained, "We take turns to guess something about the other. If it's wrong, we have to drink. If it's right, the other person drinks. I've ordered another 6, as this'll go quickly."

"Okay, you first?" Beca questioned, liking the sound of this game despite the warning sirens in her head blaring for her to make an excuse not to play.

"Ooh how chivalrous! Right, I'll start off easy. I'm gonna guess that you're an only child..?" Chloe bit her lip nervously before Beca nodded in response and knocked back the shot and cleared her throat.

"Hmm..I'm gonna say you're NOT an only child, but are the oldest. Or is that two guesses..?" The brunette furrowed her brow as Chloe shrugged and gulped down her shot smoothly. Beca admired the other girl's pointed face in the lighting - unaware that Chloe had been doing the exact same thing earlier with her.

"Okey dokey..so you aren't close with your parents?"

"Yeah..my Mum lives across the country and I'm not really close with my Dad, and especially not my step-mum." Beca pulled a face before drinking and responding, "I think you would get along with your Dad and not your Mum..?"

Chloe responded with less emotion than previously, "I'm sorta close to my Dad yeah. And I used to be close with my Mum..but I can't really now. Unless I'm buried with her, 'course."

"Holy shit, I'm so sorry." Beca blurted as she realised what Chloe meant. The ginger shook her head, "It's fine, it happened like 6 years ago. Anyhow, I wouldn't be as close to my Dad otherwise. Please, continue," she swigged her next shot.

"So..umm..maybe move away from family..I get the idea you are a secret bookworm?" Beca chose a non-offensive guess to avoid provoking any negative emotions in her friend, and hopefully causing a distraction.

"Err..no actually, not really. I mean, I used to be and my favourite book was Anna Karenina but I haven't read anything for about 2 or 3 years..what is it?" Chloe frowned with adorable confusion at the gaping brunette in front of her.

"That's my favourite book!" Beca whispered, taken aback.

"Well, isn't that something," Chloe grinned, "Now drink! You lost that one. PLUS, you just asked me two in a row sooo..that's two guesses for me. Firstly, I know you're a bookworm or nerd or whatever. But my second one is that you find it uncomfortable/awkward talking to guys, even if they're just friends..?"

Beca knocked back two shots, one for being wrong and one for being a bookworm as Chloe guessed, and handed her 3rd to the astonished ginger while saying matter-of-factly, "Actually, I'll have you know I am quite at ease among male company and find them almost TOO easy to talk to. They tend to forget as well."

Chloe obeyed and swallowed the tequila, before paying attention as Beca spoke, "Right, I think that you've had sex."

"WHOA this has escalated quickly.." She paused for a second, savouring the intent look on her small companion's face before swiftly grabbing a shot and devouring it.

"If you must know," the ginger added quietly, "But I haven't told ANYONE this, so it's a serious secret - I feel like I can trust you. Anyways, my secret is," Chloe leaned in and Beca copied as she caught the scent of alcohol on the ginger's whispering breath, "My secret is that I've had sex an amount of times, and I still don't like it. Everyone says how the first time is bad because it hurts and is a little nerve-wracking, but that it becomes enjoyable and better after that. But it hasn't for me, and I've had two different boyfriends - both guys it just hasn't worked out."

Beca stared intently into the cute and suddenly vulnerable eyes. All she could manage to say was, "Don't worry, you can trust me to keep your secrets."

"Thanks Beca." Chloe smiled appreciatively before leaning back and speaking normally, "So I'm gonna guess something I don't know the answer of, because it gets boring doing ones I know all time - I mean, where's the risk and fun in that?! And that leads me to my guess that you masturbate."

A smile crept onto Beca's face as she picked up a glass..and handed it to Chloe.

"Wait, what?" the ginger responded before taking the drink and having it.

"I've never..done that. It's not that I wouldn't and it's not that I don't know what to do or whatever, it's pretty obvious," she smirked, "But whenever I feel like I would, it's bad timing and it passes before I'd be able to."

"Ohh I see." The alcohol was starting to affect both girls.

"Now it's my turn..I'm guessing you're not a girl who watches porn when masturbating."

"Hmm..I actually try a mixture..but haven't watched for a while, true. Both drink one!" She ordered and they followed robotically.

Two shots remained on the original tray, plus the extra 6 on the one next to it. Beca looked up to meet Chloe's glance and they both knew what the other was thinking. They picked up a shot in one hand, linked arms and tilted it down their throats simultaneously. Giggling at their insane immaturity, they did the same with an extra shot - leaving 4 remaining on the 2nd tray.

This was the moment Stacie skipped over, surprisingly still sipping on the very end of her first drink, "What have you guys been up to-oooh shots!" She reached her long fingers around one and knocked it back, spluttering a little at the force and strength of the beverage. Next, she picked up and gulped down another. Two left. She glanced at the two bleary-eyed girls in front of her and decided to pick up the shots and take them over to the guy she'd been flirting blatantly with. They had a shot each before he went off towards the toilets and she pranced back over to her friends, who appeared more sober than she'd originally thought as she interrupted what sounded like a normal - and perhaps even intellectual - conversation on school subjects.

"He is soooo hot, guys. AND he's only 19! That makes my interaction with him.." She paused to think for a description and Chloe interjected with one, "Nearly legal?" Beca snorted and spluttered on the non-alcoholic pure cranberry juice she was now sipping. Stacie narrowed her eyes at her ginger friend and decided to ignore the comment. Instead, she decided to change the conversation slightly by saying, "You know, he has a couple of friends with him. One of them is COMPLETELY your type Chlo! And Beca, the other guy is equally as hot, he's basically anyone's type." Chloe groaned and replied monotonously as if she'd had to say it every day - which she probably did - "You know I'm not dating after the whole awkward almost-date thing with Tom!" Stacie snorted disbelievingly at this and retorted, "That was, like, 4 months ago Chloe! You can't even be traumatized because you didn't even date..I personally think that's just a pathetic excuse you keep using to stop me introducing you to new guys. I don't understand why not..what about you, Beca?"

"Huh?" Beca woke up from a daydream and looked up at the girl resembling the devil before her. Stacie sighed almost impatiently before repeating, but in a more condescending tone, "Do YOU like the idea of meeting Charlie's friend? He's really clever and hot." The smaller brunette chose to ignore the patronising tone and replied casually, "Nahh, I'm not really into that whole thing." Disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm for her efforts from her two friends, the girl in red uttered, "Your loss," and shrugged before spinning around and re-joining 'Charlie' and his two friends in a booth at the back of the room.

Chloe turned to Beca attentively and stared at her for some time, thinking about all the thoughts and theories about the brunette in her head that she wasn't sure she should ask or bring up - she could already tell the small girl was the introverted type to run or retreat from any problems or possible threats, and the last thing the ginger wanted was for Beca to get worried and close herself off from her. Why she didn't want this so strongly didn't surface to her mind, and she concluded it was probably down to her being overly compassionate and empathetic in her personality. It could be a hassle at the best of times..

While Chloe was searching Beca's face for answers to her mind's queries, Beca paid more attention to what her companion was wearing. The ginger had brown, cowgirl-style boots which were leather and knee-length, even with the tassels at the top. Her thighs were bare and revealed toned, smooth-looking skin which disappeared about 5.5 inches from her waist under a deep blue dress. It was a tube dress in the style of how it clung to the girl's body and highlighted both her long legs and generous breasts perfectly, but became a Queen Anne neckline with the attachment of thick straps which became a collar and joined to the back of the dress. Around Chloe's neck hung a thin silver chain with a tiny circular locket which encompassed an intricate pattern and tiny blue crystal oval secured in the centre. This blue matched her ear rings, both in the ear lobe plus one small black stud in her top-left cartilage of the ear. It also matched her icy eyes.

"So.." Chloe eventually sorted her mind's buzzing and decided to break the silence, "By not being into 'that whole thing', do you mean being set up or the kind of guy Stace was describing?"

"Sure." Beca murmured, still distracted.

"Umm..what?" Chloe questioned, completely puzzled.

Beca snapped back into the present and answered quickly, "Umm I meant sure as in kinda both reasons."

"Ahh right..so what is the kind of person you'd go for?" Chloe persisted, hoping she wasn't wrong on her theory - though everything Beca had said didn't disprove it - "Like, in this club, who would you go for if you had to?"

Beca moved her eyes from Chloe's and scanned the place, "Umm..I don't really know. I mean, I've had boyfriends and all that but I didn't ever really like them that much. I think it was more about having the boyfriend then being actually in a functional relationship, if that makes sense?"

Chloe nodded immediately, "I completely understand. I did that, but maybe a bit more extreme with this guy and it just didn't work."

"Tom, right?" Beca queried, unaware of the hurt the name caused her friend.

"Err.." Chloe paused, took a deep breath, "Okay, I'm gonna get something off my chest now. You aren't going to EVER repeat this - not even to me - and I don't know why but I just feel I can trust you. So, like 4-5 months ago this guy Tom and I liked each other - or that's what I thought at least - and we hung out a lot. This led to us umm..having sex a couple of times, but in the end (because I admitted I wasn't quite 'feeling it') we decided to just be acquaintances to friends. A few weeks later, I realised I was late," Beca looked confused, "On my period, I mean." Beca's eyes widened in shock as she saw where the story was going and Chloe continued, feeling pricks of water at the corners of her eyes, "Yeah..so I took a few tests. And guess what? They ALL said I was pregnant." She sniffled, "Now, my Dad may be close with me but he would kick me out if I wasn't the good girl he wants me to be. So, I kept it quiet for a while and then, after a couple of weeks of feeling in shock I guess, kinda numb, Aubrey got it out of me. She understood what I had to do and built the courage up in me so I had the willpower to do it without having a breakdown or being mentally damaged, etc. She supported me the whole time, organising it, booking an appointment, getting us train tickets to the next city so we didn't see anyone we knew, giving our parents excuses about a shopping centre closing and there being a major sale. She even bought a ton of clothes so our stories were backed-up properly. She then..she took me to the clinic and I..did..it. It hurt, and was horrible, but over pretty soon. I cried a lot, and it was good Aubrey had booked us in to stay overnight because I was a complete state. She coached me so I could cover it up and slowly, it became like it never happened. Tom doesn't know, no one does. Only Aubrey. And now you, I guess. And I don't want to date some random person I meet because chances are they'll just want sex, and if it's not enjoyable for me why do it? Plus, I know I can't go through all that again."

Chloe looked down at her trembling and intertwined hands. She sniffled sadly as two smaller, smooth hands came into view and carefully unlaced hers. They held hers for perhaps a little longer than was necessary before moving and weaving themselves around Chloe's waist to the small of her back. She felt their force as she was urged into the hug and gladly accepted. As soon as her head came to rest on the brunette's and her arms laced around the small frame, she felt the warmth and comfort and the tears started to flow. Beca whispered in reassurance, "Don't worry, you can trust me to keep your secrets." Beca felt Chloe smile weakly, and though the tears didn't cease, the shaking did appear to ease a little.

After a few minutes of silence with the exception of the odd sniffle or blubber from the distraught girl, Beca pulled out of the embrace and took hold of one of Chloe's hands. They fit perfectly like a jigsaw, and her heart skipped a beat. But this wasn't the time for self-analysis, and with a soothing 'come on Chlo', the brunette led the ginger to the toilets. Once in the brightly lit room with stalls, Beca let go of the other girl's hand - feeling Chloe's surprising resistance at first. Beca went into an empty cubicle, emerging with a wad of toilet paper. She then went to the sink and wet the tip of the top one before beckoning to her friend in need. Chloe stumbled over, and Beca sat her down against the tiled wall on the surprisingly clean floor. Then, she knelt down with the wetted tissues and started gently dabbing at the dried tears and smudged eye-makeup. The ginger's layer of foundation rubbed away and her freckled beauty shone through. Once the tears and upset had been washed away and discarded into the bin, the brunette gently lifted the other girl's face with her thumb and index finger under her chin.

Beca stared intently into the light blue orbs of hurt and desperation and gratitude and relief, and they stared with intensity back. Chloe's lips were parted partially and her breath exited shakily, compared to Beca's trapped bottom lip by her teeth and almost non-existent breaths. A few seconds passed like this. Silence. No words, yet such meaning passed between them. Then, Beca spoke in a husky whisper, her lip now freed.

"Don't hide behind the mask - metaphorical or literal. You're beautiful, truly beautiful, inside and out and I hate to think anyone (including yourself) could even attempt to think otherwise."

Chloe was left speechless. The brunette's cheeks heated up in embarrassment and the ginger felt her own start to burn. Her eyes broke the staring contest as they glanced down at Beca's full lips. She looked back up just in time to see Beca had been doing the same. Knowingly, Chloe's eyelids shut and she tilted her head ever so slightly as she started to lean forward. Beca did the same.

"I was looking for you two!" A familiar voice suddenly called loudly, making the two girls jump and, quickly realising what had just been happening, they hurried to stand up and face the clearly drunk girl. She continued her slurring, "Well..now I'VEfound you," she emphasised the 'I've', proud of her somewhat achievement, "I want youuuu to know I'm gonna fuck the blonde guy..I can't rememberr his..his..name..anyway I'm gonna fuck 'im then we can gooo!"

"Okay Stace, see you in a mo." Beca replied soothingly to the girl stumbling out of the area. Chloe was now inspecting her face in the mirror before washing her hands - for no apparent reason other than perhaps avoid eye contact with the small brunette as she focused intently on scrubbing her palms.

"So," Chloe started, still washing her hands with careful attention, "Beca, you never answered my questions about your 'type', or who kinda go for."

"Well," Beca started, constructing her sentence with caution, "I said how I'm not sure."

"What were your thoughts on the hot guy Stacie was with?" Chloe queried, trying to sound casual.

Beca snorted and replied without thinking, "Aha, well I guess the whole macho-man thing of having rock-hard abs and an Aryan appearance doesn't really do it for me."

Chloe knew Beca was leading her in circles, so took another approach, "You said how you get like aroused - or in the mood - right?"

"Yeah.." Beca's mind raced ahead but she didn't know how to dig herself out of this one. Heat spread across her face before Chloe had even said the next part Beca anticipated and hoped would never come.

"Well then," Chloe lifted her dripping hands and dipped into a cubicle to grab a few pieces of toilet paper to dry her hands, "What makes you aroused?"

"Ummm.." Beca averted her eyes and looked anywhere but in Chloe's direction. However, that didn't change the awareness she had that those piercing blue eyes were staring at her weird reaction. Beca knew deep down that Chloe knew, but was confused why exactly she was being forced to say it. She thought she'd jump forward and beat Chloe to it.

"You know, don't you?" Beca chose to move her eyes and meet the ginger's as she said this with all the confidence she could muster - and, surprisingly, her voice only cracked at one brief point which was almost unnoticeable. Almost, but not quite.

"Know what?" Chloe raised an eyebrow and smirked as if to challenge the brunette, and like the spider coaxing the flies into her trap, Beca took Chloe's bait and responded in a desperate yell.

"YOU KNOW WHAT BLOODY AROUSES ME, OKAY! FINE. I ADMIT IT TO YOU. I'M NOT INTO GUYS. I'M GAY. A LESBIAN. HOMO-FUCKING-SEXUAL. QUEER AS A 3 DOLLAR BILL. BENT AS A CIRCLE."

Chloe's mouth fell open at this sudden and rather alarming outburst. Beca furrowed her brow, pissed off a little at the other girl for being able to trick her, but mainly herself for falling for such obvious bait. Despite this annoyance she felt, there was something else - Beca felt a weird stirring of a mixture of queasiness and fear at the pit of her stomach. Beca froze in shock as the realisation dawned. She'd admitted it. It was true. For so long she'd known she wasn't straight or 'normal', but now the utter truth had come out..SHE had come out.

As if reading her mind (probably from the girl's obvious transformation to completely rigid body language and a shocked combined with terrified expression) Chloe walked up and gave the small girl an embrace. The ginger slipped her arms around Beca's upper back and squeezed, pulling them closer together. The other girl responded finally by placing her arms over the slightly taller girl's shoulder and draping them around her neck. Beca nuzzled into Chloe's prominent collarbone and the warm liquid started to drop and run down the ginger's pale skin. Chloe soothed her with the kind words she could think of; it distressed her hugely to see the small girl so distraught. Finally, an idea came to her head and she whispered to Beca in her calm & silkier lower voice, "Don't worry, you can trust me to keep your secrets." Beca laughed a little through her sobs at Chloe quoting her from earlier, and the knot in her stomach eased a little - though it was still making its presence noticed.


	5. To Cry Or To Lie

**A/N So hey guys, I just want to explain one thing first. Someone commented about how Beca's mum is a nurse and dad a doctor, and how that is bringing back stereotypes from AGES ago. But I just wanted to say that my reasoning for this is to show how stuck-in-the-past and rigid her parents are..hence what happens in 2-3 chapters time ;) Sorry for the obvious plot line - gotta stick to the Bechloe clichés though, right?**

 **2am**

Down the long road three female figures walked. The tallest, in the middle, was being steadied and issued support from the arms of the girls either side of her. She walked with no direction or sense of balance, occasionally stumbling. The only thing stopping Stacie from falling face-first into the pavement were the straining arms of Chloe & Beca clutching at her hands.

That tall girl was still tipsy and found all of this hilarious, giggling as her friends heaved her along. Whereas, both Chloe & Beca had sobered up from their drinking game 4 hours beforehand, and (despite them having said earlier that it wouldn't happen) they were the designated babysitters for the mess in their arms.

Without warning, Stacie stumbled briskly out of support and headed to the grass on a nearby houses lawn. Here she knelt and began to wretch. The smell from the substance pouring out onto the dew-encased blades of grass wafted over to the other two - Chloe wrinkled her nose adorably and Beca grimaced while uttering a quiet 'Ewww'. Stacie was still spluttering and spitting out her insides 5 or so minutes later, and Beca decided to ask Chloe what had been bugging her.

"Umm..aren't her parents gonna be really pissed at her..and us for being this wasted?" the brunette hesitantly spoke in a quiet yet silky tone.

Chloe didn't take her concerned eyes off of Stacie as she replied, "No don't worry..they won't be up, and so long as we get her to her room quietly without breaking or being sick on anything then it's okay. I have a bottle of water and some aspirin in my bag, we should sober her up before morning so she's also slept it off a little before morning. It always works," Chloe reassuringly glanced over at Beca and winked cheekily, making the small girl blush and break eye contact.

"You guys usually finish the night by 2am?" Beca asked, genuinely curious to know the answer.

Now that Stacie had finished throwing up and was just sitting to get some fresh air a few metres from her vomit the ginger allowed herself to relax and turn her full attention to the conversation, "Aha no..we tend to keep going till about 4. We've done a couple of all-nighters too, they were epic! But I guess she had a bad day/week because she was in a destructive mood."

"Destructive mood?" Beca pushed, carefully watching for hesitance and boundary-crossing in the ginger's face but saw none.

"Oh err yeah..Stacie kinda goes off the rails a bit. You know how some people, when they're scared or upset or hurt, they run away and hide? Well, Stace doesn't do that..she goes out into the world and does the stupidest stuff because it makes her forget all the problems for a second."

"Why don't you stop her?" the brunette whispers back, shocked.

"Trust me, I've tried. I put so much effort into it when it started, and I thought she had stopped - because she wouldn't get totalled with me anymore.. But then I found out what had happened was instead she was getting in with a REALLY bad crowd and taking majorly dangerous drugs and doing reckless stuff when she wasn't with me. So, I had a long chat with her about all this, and she admitted she wanted to stop but couldn't. I understood this because.." Chloe trailed off and subconsciously rubbed her arms before coming back to reality and continuing, "Because I..umm..I'd been watching her do this and know her well enough to see that it wasn't really her making the decisions. That's when I said to her that I'd let her get drunk and I'd get her home/somewhere safe and look after her so long as she ceased to hang out with those other guys and would never take drugs again. She agreed, and that's why I don't stop her - this," she gestured to the side where the pale girl was resting her heavy head on her hands, "is better than that. I can't stand the thought of knowing it would be my fault if something happened to her because she went back to that gang-thing because I'd been a dick and told her no."

Beca remained silent for a few seconds, letting it all sink in. Then, something came up in her mind and buzzed like a trapped bumblebee until she released it, "But what about the sex? I mean, you let her fuck that random guy..and she'd referenced trying to set you two up before so I'm guessing that's not the firs-"

"Oh right, well I'd prefer her getting an STD from fucking a randomer who'd been chatting her up politely for a couple of hours compared to her getting an STD from having sex with people for drugs any day."

"Wait, what?" Beca gaped at this casual (and slightly aggressive which she found sexy in the fiery ginger) reply. Chloe stared at her, her icy eyes burning with flaming memories threatening to spill onto her cheeks. Thankfully, this was cut short and within milliseconds the deep hurt was gone, as Stacie stumbled up and said - without the slurring in her words anymore, "What are we waitin' for? Let's get goin', yeahhh?" The other two nodded and, taking an arm each and placing them around their shoulders, the three proceeded on their trek homewards.

 **45 Minutes Later**

Heavy breathes flowed from the tall girl as she lay on the top of her bed sheets. Beca stood awkwardly by the door and Chloe set about untying the unconscious friend's shoes. The two sober and awake teenagers hadn't spoken since Chloe's slightly fiery but mainly heart-broken recollection the past, and neither made any sign of changing that. Until..

"D'you mind giving me a hand? Her parents might come in with breakfast and we need her looking like she dressed herself for bed," the ginger whispered monotonously, and the small brunette obeyed. She took the shoes from Chloe and put them beside the wardrobe door before returning to help turn Stacie onto her front and unfasten her halter neck. Both girls blindly plucked with their fingers, trying to find a loose part in the knot. Occasionally, their hands skimmed one another's and their fingers intertwined. Neither of them were really focusing on the electric current which would then pass between them so they simply uttered hushed apologies and a few friendly giggles escaped as they continued.

Despite Chloe giggling too, Beca could tell that she wasn't fully positive still, but didn't know how to make her better other than by talking through it.

"You know," she started, taking a deep breath, "You can trust me to keep her secrets, too."

Chloe stopped and turned to face Beca who was kneeling beside her and the bed, she smiled genuinely and warmly in the pale light shining through the ceiling windows from the moon.

"I know."

Beca looked down, relieved, and sighed - knowing the optimistic ginger was herself again. She took a deep breath, only for it to be knocked out her immediately however by the body flinging itself into hers.

The two girls fell back and the thick cream carpet created a soft landing for Beca. She stayed still, trapped. Chloe had somehow managed to get one of her legs between Beca's and her hands were placed either side of the brunette's narrow shoulders. Her eyes still twinkled in the dark, like the stars watching in awe through the roof and she grinned at Beca's wide eyes and nervous, quick breaths. A naughty chuckle escaped her lips as she parted them.

"So..Miss I'm-Hella-Gay," Beca chuckled back and rolled her eyes jokingly, "I think you have an explanation to give me on the facts. AND - to make sure you do this.." Chloe lifted the leg from between Beca's thighs only to go fully over and hover her hips above the small brunette's core, "I'm trapping you." She was clearly at ease and unaware of Beca's discomfort..or she was aware and finding it highly amusing.

"Well.." Beca stammered, distracted by their close bodies sharing body heat but also lost in those light eyes, "If you free me, I shall tell all." Huffing in mock reluctance, Chloe moved a few inches and allowed Beca to squeeze out, still causing them to come ridiculously close in contact for a few seconds before the brunette broke free triumphantly.

"First," Beca said with confidence now, "We should get Stacie looking..innocent and then ourselves. I shall THEN tell all."

"Hey!" Chloe disputed, "That wasn't the deal.. But I kinda must agree, that'd be for the best."

Beca went to the bathroom to remove her make-up and unfasten her hair as Chloe finished taking Stacie's dress off and putting her into a turquoise flowery nightie with a thin white lace trim. This was typical nightwear for Stacie, and Chloe grinned to herself as she knew why Beca had really wanted to go to the bathroom..the ginger snorted to herself before finishing with the unconscious girl by tucking her gently under the duvet cover. She then got up and went over to her own bag, rummaging in it to find what she needed.

Meanwhile, Beca realised she had her pyjamas in her rucksack, which was still in Stacie's room. She internally cursed as she nervously thought of how big a pervert she would look if she walked in there while the sleeping girl wasn't fully dressed yet. After some time contemplating, the small girl plucked up the courage to open the silent door. She slowly crept out and turned to the room. There was a lamp from the desk on - presumably for while Chloe was finding clothes for Stacie - and Beca prayed that the coast was clear. She opened her previously squinting eyes and spotted her rucksack on one of the wicker chairs. Determined, Beca strode towards it and rounded the corner of the L-shaped room to stop dead in her tracks.

Stacie was asleep and under her duvet, no sights to be seen there. Whereas Chloe..

Beca blinked, disbelievingly at the sight. The ginger was turned towards the wall and in the process of rummaging (presumably for a pyjama top) in her bag. She had a pair of dark red and black tartan-style shorts on, which rest loosely off her prominent hip bones and hung to her upper-upper thigh (about 6 inches down). Other than that, she was simply pale skin and occasional freckles illuminated in the desk lamp's rays of light. The yellow shining complimented her complexion, making it look softer and creamier: smoother. Accidentally, Beca opened her mouth and let out a croaky noise. The ginger jumped and (with her arms folded in an 'X' over her chest she spun around. This happened too swiftly for Beca to avert her eyes or hide, and she just met the surprised and suspicious blue orbs.

"How long have yo-" Chloe started, her eyes squinting while a smirk emerged slowly before Beca cut in.

"Umm..my rucksack is in the chair next to you. Would you mind..?" Beca gestured to finish the sentence as her eyes skimmed across the other girl - taking in the pleasant sight of her fully defined abs and skinny yet not unhealthily-so frame. Her shoulders were relatively broad, probably why she chose to wear a dress with the distracting neckline, Beca thought. However she didn't think this negatively, simply matter-of-factly as she finished observing the stunning sight before her.

"Oh yeah sure, just lemme put a shirt on..sorry," she winked teasingly at the blushing Beca before turning, pulling a matching tartan checked shirt from her bag and sliding it on. She fastened the 3rd button down only (in order to keep it covering the most part of her breasts..though still not hiding the smooth slope and skin towards the bottom/edges) before leaning over and reaching for Beca's bag. The hormonal teenager behind her couldn't help but stare at the firm rear attached to the long legs as the ginger leaned for the rucksack. And when she turned with the nearly fully-unbuttoned shirt Beca's heart skipped several beats. Her mouth stammered at the sexy sight before her as she was handed the bag.

"Errr..I..umm..th-thanks," she whispered before turning quickly with her rucksack and returning to the en suite - leaving the ginger giggling with satisfaction.

 **15 Minutes Later**

Beca emerged yet again from the en suite and walked cautiously around the corner, relieved to see the other girl's presence absent from the wicker chair-area. Carelessly, she slung her rucksack down on the chair from before and turned to observe the room. The desk light had been switched off so she had to use her eyes' adjustment and the infrequent beams of pale light from the stars and moon to guide her way around. Blindly, she searched for the ginger. She heard the familiar voice whisper, "Over here."

Beca walked slowly - her arms stuck out as if she were mimicking a zombie - towards the source of the statement. Her knees bumped something firm yet soft - like a bed. She leaned down and her hands felt the frame of the now-extended sofa double-bed and the duvet on top. The brunette jumped when the voice (much closer now) said, "What are you doing? Just get in!" Silently, Beca obeyed, and lifted herself onto the surprisingly comfortable bed. She wriggled in and was curling into her usual foetal position when her bare knees touched something smooth and warm.

"That tickles!" the ginger squealed and Beca immediately moved her legs away, unaware that they had quite as little space as it seemed..

She muttered an apology but was interrupted as Chloe spoke in a low voice (obviously making herself quieter but actually also making herself sexier), "So..you said you'd 'tell all'. Or did perving at me wipe that from your memory?"

Beca knew she was grinning and winking at her just like Chloe knew Beca would be rolling her eyes and blushing at the memory - which she was.

"If you insist then.." Beca pretended to be submitting to a child's incessant plea and Chloe played along by clapping her hands together in mock over-excitement and squeaking, "Ooh yayy! I do love a bedtime story!" Beca propped herself up onto her pillows with her elbow and lay on her side only to notice Chloe had done the same - their faces about 15cm away from one another. Beca smirked as she started with, "Once upon a time," and Chloe chuckled and added, "In a land not so far away there lived a girl."

"That's right!" Beca sarcastically responded with mock congratulations.

"Go on!" Chloe encouraged, genuine excitement ringing through her voice which Beca secretly found adorable.

"Well..I don't really know what I'm supposed to say.." Beca started, a nervous tone breaking through her voice.

Chloe furrowed her brow in thought and said gently, "You know you don't have to tell me anything if you're uncomfortable accepting it right now or something."

"No no it's nothing like that!" Beca hurried to explain, not wanting to upset her quiet friend, "I just don't really know what you want me to tell you. Maybe you ask me questions and I give answers..?"

"Okay!" Chloe grinned with excitement and her teeth glinted in the distant starry light through the gloom - mesmerizing the little brunette.

The air went still and Beca took a deep breath, reminding herself of the situation and what was to come. The silky, confident voice broke through the silence.

"So..how long have you known?"

Beca rolled her eyes at the obvious question as she started to explain, "Well, I know this sounds like a cliché and everything but I've always known I was different. But it didn't really click until about two or three years ago. I mean, when I was 13-14 I came to terms with the idea I definitely wasn't straight, and then at probably 16 I realised I not only like girls more..but I just like them." She heard the pillows shift as the ginger nodded empathetically.

"You ever had a girlfriend, or got one at the moment for that fact?" Chloe wasn't aware of the words leaving her mouth until they hung in the air between the two. For some reason, which she couldn't quite place, her stomach bunched at the thought of the brunette being in a committed, monogamous relationship with some stranger. Beca chuckled, and the sound of the soft, husky croak made the ginger's nerves calm a little.

"Aha, no..I mean, I've kissed a couple of girls before and, you know, done other stuff," Beca felt her face heat up rapidly, "But that wasn't in a relationship. It was.." Beca breathed in sharply before continuing, "It was when I started telling people I was bisexual definitely, maybe completely gay. Most of the people I told reacted reasonably and didn't treat me any different..a couple cut off all contact with me and of course a few decided to be malicious and gossip/spread rumours, etc.."

Beca trailed off as painful memories flooded her head. Chloe saw the outline of the brunette's face scrunch, into a wince of pain, and her breathing became more erratic. The ginger brought her hand up to the brunette's cheek and soothed her, "Hey hey, don't worry Beca. It's okay now. I'm here."

Nodding, Beca gulped back the fear and hurt before opening her mouth to speak on, "But that wasn't the worst reaction. I had this sort-of friend - Sarah - and, well in truth she wasn't really a friend. She was that typical tall, blonde girl..queen bee I guess. Anyways, she heard about me not being straight and she started..being nice to me. She invited me out to parties, introduced me to all these friends of hers, etc. But then, at one party, I took some stuff I really shouldn't have and she came up to me. I don't know if she was out of it too or not, but she took me aside and kissed me. Then..she err took me upstairs and we err fucked. The weird part is though, she pretended it didn't happen..she had a boyfriend for fucksake. And yet, most weekends we'd go out, get plastered and have sex."

Chloe's eyes darker than usual, and her mouth in a grim line as she took this in and waited for Beca to finish explaining.

"Now, I know it all doesn't exactly put me in a great light..but I was 16 and for the first time I was being treated with respect by others. And...and I.." Beca's voice broke and Chloe interjected to finish the sentence, "You loved her, didn't you?" Beca nodded and the tears started to fall as she continued, "Yeah.. It all messed me up really badly because I liked the weekend stuff we did but hated how my morals were flying out the window so I could be selfish. It got to a point where I told her I had feelings for her and all she did..all she fucking did was shrug and say 'I know stupid'," anger burned through the brunette, heating her from her flaming heart, "That made me stop. And I asked her why she was even doing this with me if she knew I loved her and she just said how me loving her meant I would never betray her and tell. That kinda made me mad - I was already a mess and this just fucked with me - so I threatened to tell everyone. Immediately, she cut off my resources by..She told everyone that I'd tried to rape her. She said all these rumours about how I'd made a move or something and the whole year group turned against me, making my life hell. I got to a really bad place..umm, can I not talk about this bit please?"

Beca glanced down nervously. Soft skin brushed against her cheek, wiping the fallen tears away, before she found her head being tilted up to meet the gaze of the other girl.

"You don't have to tell me anything you're not ready or comfortable saying. Thank you for telling me what you have..I can only try to imagine how difficult that must have been for you to recall." Beca sniffled and didn't try giving a response, knowing her voice wasn't ready yet. Chloe proceeded.

"I think it probably best if we stop with the games for a bit..can't lose all our tears, eh?" she gave Beca a weak smile, but Beca shook her head.

"I can't go to sleep with this stuff in my head. D'you mind giving me something else to think of first?" She was hesitant and her voice still raspy, but the ginger didn't dwell on this as she said, "No problem at all," and smiled genuinely, "So, anyone caught your eye recently?"

Chloe winked cheekily and Beca snorted at her question - if she'd seen the perfected wink as well she would have probably lost the words in her mouth and been unable to answer. Luckily, however, she didn't and replied nonchalantly, "Not really..I mean, sure I find certain people attractive, but I don't really socialise with a lot of people. I guess I don't really put myself out there."

Chloe re-positioned her hand from Beca's chin back to her cheek, making the awkward girl look her in the eyes as she smirked, "I know you find Stacie hot..though you can't REALLY be blamed..especially when she flaunts it. And, of course, you think I'm just drop-dead gorgeous!" The cheeky ginger emphasised 'drop-dead gorgeous' and the red-hot heat travelled across Beca's face. Chloe snorted cockily as she felt the heat under her hand filling the brunette's cheeks and she decided to push her luck. Slowly, she shuffled closer to Beca, her long fingers still resting lightly on Beca's jawline and cheek. Beca stopped breathing as the other girl leaned forward (her eyes now closed and her full lips now puckered). Her rosy lips brushed against Beca's forehead as she planted a soft kiss.

Suddenly, Chloe's hand was gone and she had retracted, turning over with her back to the frozen friend.

"Night little one," Chloe chimed over her shoulder. Beca shook her head to return from her daze and whispered as casually as she could back, "Night..weird one," before lying back on the pillow beneath her and letting it swallow her consciousness. Outside the birds began to chant, but neither of the girls heard them.


	6. The First Signs Of Negation

**A/N Sorry it's been a little longer guys, this chapter ended up being more of a build-up annoyingly, but it's all just because of what's gonna happen..so hold on! It'll be worth it (hopefully)! XD**

Raindrops splattered against the cheap layer of glass before miserably being dragged down by their weight to the drain below. The 6th Former stared intensely, her dark blue orbs almost cracking the window, as the voice at the front of the room droned on. Around her, dejected sighs and sleep-deprived yawns erupted frequently, with the odd cough or sneeze here and there. None of this mattered to Beca however. It was nearing the end of November, and her thoughts consisted mainly of dreading the upcoming event - Christmas. To anyone else her age, this holiday encompassed lie-in's, presents, lots of chocolate & cake, and of course time with their loving family. But it wasn't like that for Beca. Her Christmas tended to entail spending all her money buying gifts which people didn't appreciate, being trapped from her friends in the outside world, and of course LOTS of arguments between her bickering relatives while they were all crammed into one room and sat around a table eating defrosted Turkey. Great, it's fucking Christmas in 4 weeks..let the bloodshed begin, Beca thought sarcastically to herself as a clear look of distaste adorned her face. A whisper interrupted her pessimistic daydreaming.

"Beca," the boy with glasses sat next to her said quietly as the teacher was dictating to the class, "this is for you." His dark hand and pearly fingernails reached out and placed the small piece of folded paper on her book. After staring blankly at it for a good few seconds, the brunette forced a tight-lipped smile and replied, "Err..thanks Michael." Reaching out her chipped and messy black-painted fingernails, Beca opened the note. Inside it read:

 _Bec,_

 _D'you wanna hang out this Friday? House party at Jessica's!_

 _Stace Xx_

Sighing, Beca opened the back cover of her exercise book and slowly tore the corner off - minimising the sound so as to not draw the teacher's attention to her. With her pen, she then scrawled a message before folding it and nudging Michael gently and asking him to pass it across the science class room to the patiently waiting brunette. Her reply had been pathetic in Beca's opinion, and she chose to stare intently towards the teacher (though not listening) rather than see the other girl's reaction. Her note had said:

 _Nahh I've got a ton of music coursework due in next week, and a hangover won't exactly help..sorry :/_

Another note landed on Beca's place within a couple of minutes and she opened it with neither enthusiasm nor reluctance.

 _Aww, c'mon Becs - it'll be fun! You've not hung out with me and the others since that time with Chloe & I in the half-term..it's been ages! WHY?!_

Beca sat back and studied the last word for a while. She knew it was rhetorical and Stacie had simply written it in order to emphasise her 'angst' on Beca's detachment, but her mind felt the need to treat it like a question to herself.

An irritated answer came into her head, telling herself how this was what she did. When she felt things becoming uncomfortable - like she wasn't in control of how she was feeling or being, she started to drift. Then, when she revealed all of the secrets about herself to Chloe that time, she suddenly started feeling an uncontrollable and unwanted nervousness; at the possibility that her private information could be leaked. She knew Chloe wouldn't do that as it didn't seem like her style - plus she'd shared more secret stuff too, but that didn't matter to Beca's paranoia. All it needed for fuel was the simple fact that she'd shared something secret in the first place. Once the paranoia had been triggered, Beca would instantly feel the need to choose - 'fight or flight?' And, of course, she selected flight. Furthermore, this resulted in her cutting herself off from the people whom she deemed possible threats, hoping that her absence would cause the secrets to never be made public.

Beca knew this was stupid and was aware she did it, but couldn't help it. Truth be told, she despised this part of her (among a substantial amount of other things about herself), but she also was aware of the fact that, if she took the time to take herself apart and put herself back together - like a puzzle or toy - there was a high chance she'd go wrong and end up worse than before. Sadly, there aren't exactly instructions on how to rebuild your personality to be how you wish.

Conclusively, Beca chose not to reply to the second note from Stacie, and - luckily for her - she was close to the door, while Stacie was across the room at the back - so the small brunette was able to escape before being bombarded with questions when the bell went, ending the lesson (and school day). On her way home, Beca thought more into her detachment, and realised she hadn't hung out with her other friends for a while either. However, because Emily & Benji are awkward and quiet, they hadn't spoken up and tried arranging anything themselves, and Jesse participated in basically every nerd-club available at the school, so had hardly any spare time apart from in the holidays.

Once in her room, which actually allowed its colour scheme to match her mood, the small brunette huffily dumped her bag, discarded her rain-soaked clothes and fell into bed. A couple of hours later, she awoke and dragged herself over to her wardrobe to put a change of clothes on. After that, she sat at her desk and followed the boring procedure of doing the homework she had due the next day (not bothering with any others) until Sheila called up to tell her it was dinner time. Feeling a little ill from her 'after-dinner ritual', she lay in bed with her duvet serving as a cocoon and her laptop resting on her bedside table with some music on. Slowly, Beca's eyelids drooped and she gave into sleep.

 **Friday 19th December (Last Day Of School Term)**

Beca liked to think the month had flown by, let alone the term since she started her school year. However, it hadn't. Since returning from the half-term holidays especially, the small brunette had become less and less involved in the world. She was drifting from her friends. She was no longer aware of the school work she was robotically producing. She was hardly ever leaving her bedroom, other than when she was at school, and even then she had been off for most days the previous 2 weeks. This was due to slight illness (such as mild dizziness) which Beca then exaggerated in order to persuade her stupid step-mother to allow her to stay at home. Luckily for the teenager, her doctor of dad was always out the door by 6am, so she never had to compete with his professional knowledge.

The girl's reason for not wanting to attend school wasn't anything like her hating her subjects (she didn't have an opinion for most, and enjoyed music - though slightly less so more recently) or being bullied or anything like that. Instead, she just felt exhausted constantly, and needed to rest. She didn't seem to care about the consequences of missing lessons or not seeing her friends - she just didn't really..care anymore. Beca had drifted from friends and even family before, but this was different. It was more like she was fading from the whole world around her. Like the world was buzzing in this bubble, and she was stood outside watching everything from a distance. But the weirdest part was her emotions; it seemed they'd been left inside the bubble too, leaving the stranded Beca outside feeling nothing..feeling numb.

Despite Beca wishing otherwise, her Dad noticed the change in her. She didn't seem to be putting effort into her school work (as her report from her teachers wrote), she was being absent often, and she wouldn't even bother arguing with him anymore - her fiery spirit was dying out. This was when Benjamin Mitchell decided to keep a closer eye on his daughter, but not take any action unless any other changes became prominent.

Everything was fine until three nights beforehand, when Beca was having a deflated argument with him. It was over the matter of eating as, being concerned, the brunette's Father had decided to use the available online system to see what Beca had been buying for lunch at school. This system had been created so that parents could check their money wasn't being wasted, though Benjamin had said to Beca he trusted her and wouldn't use it. Even though this was the case still, her Dad decided to just have a look - and maybe he'd be able to make a conclusion from the food as to why she kept being ill and having to stay off school.

Since November, Beca had told her Dad and Sheila that she thought it more appropriate, due to the cold weather and her needing energy earlier in the day, that she should have a proper hot meal at school for lunch, and then a small meal such as a salad or bowl of soup for dinner with them. They both agreed to this idea, as it seemed logical and Beca's Dad had strong views on people having a healthy diet (as he encountered so many patients with problems due to an unhealthy one) so he appreciated and didn't want to combat his daughter thinking like that. However, there he was with a glass of water on a coaster and his computer humming next to it on his study desk as he typed in the necessary passwords to enter the website. His pupils widened and his jaw dropped with shock briefly as he stared at the blank bank statement before him, before narrowing his eyes into infuriated slits. His daughter had lied to him - that was bad enough - but, adding to that, after all the years he and her proper Mother had taught her about healthy eating and 3 meals a day, she decided to defy him. Instead, she appeared to be eating nothing at break, nor lunch time. He scrolled back the weeks and saw that she used to buy the odd snack or soup before the half-term, but hadn't since then. Instead, the past month and a half Beca had only bought the infrequent bottle of water here and there it seemed.

Huffing, Benjamin tried to calm himself down by leaning back into his chair and closing his eyes as his thumb and forefinger pinched at his already creased brow. So, he thought to himself, if Beca wasn't eating at school..and was only eating a small meal at home, then she's not getting the nutrients she needs and is probably malnourished..which will result in light-headedness and nauseous feelings along with dizziness. He then recalled the same symptoms were what his daughter had been off ill for from school recently, and sighed in a crestfallen manner. His professional career pushed its way into his head, removing the emotional attachment, as he thought through what he would then ask a patient if they presented him with this problem about themselves or their child/friend and then fill out on a referral form. Firstly, he'd have to find out whether they were a possible threat to others or themselves. This scenario wouldn't be a danger to others, but if the patient with this case wasn't eating at all on purpose, or perhaps vomiting up whatever they did eat then they would be.

Panicked, Benjamin's breath hitched and he stayed completely silent other than his heart beating loudly and at an increasing rate as he recalled the routine for the evening the past few nights. They would eat dinner, him and Sheila a proper meal, Beca a small salad or soup (or something else light) along with A LOT of water which she downed in great quantities. Beca would usually not finish her meal even and would remain seated at the table for about 10 minutes extra. Benjamin found this odd as his daughter had never been one to stick around when she could be alone in her room, especially after his re-marriage to Sheila. However, he'd discarded this as her trying to be polite as her eyes darted frequently and slightly nervously to the clock on the wall before she departed. As soon as she was out of sight, Sheila and he had joked about the fact she'd always go to the bathroom and spend about 30-40 minutes in there, at least - wondering what she was spending so long doing. It was a little odd, because they could hear the pipes for the taps running water but Beca never has baths and the shower was never turned on. Plus, she flushed the toilet a couple of times, insinuating she wasn't in the bath. Yet again, he had brushed it off as he thought she was probably shaving her legs or moisturising or doing something else females stereotypically do - Beca hated her Dad's misogynistic views and expectations of her because of his generalisations of both females and her generation/'youths'. Anyhow, Benjamin Mitchell's mouth had set into a grim line and his breathing had returned after his thoughts all seemed to come together and the truth hit him.

Beca's Dad was a stubborn man among all else, which meant that (despite him being fully aware of the truth) he chose to ignore it and live in denial the following couple of days. Normally, this traditional man and protective parent whom wanted his daughter to be the best traditional daughter - and would rather lie to himself and the world than admit otherwise - would be in denial for much longer. However, after Beca had Thursday off school too, Dr Mitchell decided it would be dangerous for her to not be treated. That's why, after school on Friday, Beca was whisked by Sheila (as her Dad was at work) to the mental health clinic without question. Her Father had filed a referral without any mention to Beca, so she was angered to a full extent as she sunk into the arm chair opposite the Asian man holding a clip board and blank forms in the small, sound-proofed room.

"Welcome to Evershot House, I'm Dr Kumar and am here on behalf of the hospital to help you through any struggles you may be experiencing. Firstly, would you mind me asking you a few compulsory questions, Beca?" The man had a twangy and high-pitched voice which rang out and cut the sleepy atmosphere around Beca into pieces.

Groggily, Beca replied in a monotone, "Well, if they're compulsory than I guess so?"

"Great," He piped enthusiastically, clicking his pen on, "Please just answer the questions as honestly and simply as you can. First, why do you think you're here today?"

"Well," Beca huffed bluntly, "My Dad thinks I have a problem or something and that this will help."

Dr Kumar shook his head, his chubby cheeks flapping a little, before he said, "Not quite Beca. I want to know why YOU think you're here, so that means what struggles do YOU think have brought you here?"

"Ohh," Beca nods slowly with more understanding, "In that case, I guess I'm here because of..feeling weird? Oh and according to my Dad I apparently have like some problems with eating - but he thinks people missing out on one of their 5-a-day is a catastrophe."

The man chuckled empathetically before questioning further, "How are you feeling weird?"

"Umm.." Beca searched for words, "I'm just not really..caring anymore. I mean, I just don't really feel, but I don't mind. I'm too exhausted all the time to mind. The world is sorta moving fast around me, but I'm stuck being too tired to try and keep up. There's no point." She shrugs and the dr creases his brow, knitting his dark eyebrows together, as he scrawled with his pen on a form.

"Okay..can you remember when you started to feel this way, Beca?" He looked at her intently, showing with clarity the importance of accuracy with this question.

"Beginning of November," Beca answered instantly, "But I've always felt kinda emotionally detached from those around me if that makes sense?"

The counselor/doctor nodded as he wrote more on the paper and appeared to tick a box. From where she was sat, Beca couldn't read what had been written by the stranger, and could only hope it was alright and true to what she was saying.

"And who lives at home with you?" He asked abruptly, taking Beca aback with the unexpected question.

"Oh, I live with my Dad and step-Mum, Sheila."

"And your biological Mother?" He politely pushed for answers before writing anything more.

"She lives across the country in North England, but she calls every once-in-a-while and I see her sometimes."

"And your current family life - do you get along with your Father & step-Mother?"

"Well..I don't exactly get on with my step-Mum," Beca chose her words carefully, "And I'm sorta distant from my Dad. But we're all okay I guess."

"But there's no one at home or in the family you could go to if you had a problem?" He pushed, leaning forward in his chair towards Beca and creasing his brow again.

"Err..I guess not? But I have friends." Beca nervously replied, unsure of whether she liked where this seemed to be going.

"Good," He leans back, "And these friends are close? You talk to them about stress and your recent trouble with your mood?"

"Oh, no I did talk to one about problems a while ago, but have..distanced from them since. I just think it wouldn't make sense to them and they wouldn't be able to give any good advice, anyway."

"How do you know that they wouldn't if you haven't said? You never know, they may be experiencing or have experienced the same thing."

Beca contemplated this, "True. But I don't think I want to talk about it. I don't have many friends and don't exactly wanna risk my chances, if that makes sense?" Beca was nervous and her palms sweated profusely as she intertwined her fingers tightly and observed Dr Kumar make more notes with darting and panicked eyes.

"I see.. Next question, have you ever had any counseling prior to this or been prescribed any medication due to mental illness or incapability?"

Unsure of all that was just asked, Beca's voice questioningly replied with, "No..?"

"Okay," He nodded, "And just a few more now.."

Beca sighed with relief and noticed the ticking clock above the doctor on the wall displayed that their hour session was surprisingly nearly over. Time flies when you're on edge, Beca smirked to herself at this thought before snapping back to reality as the man squeaked, "Have you ever submitted to any form of harming oneself? On the referral we received, it was mentioned that you are suspected of being bulimic. Is this a true statement? Have you made yourself be sick recently or on one or more occasions?"

Beca's brain buzzed quickly as she absorbed the bombardment of sudden questions and composed an answer, "I..umm..I've never cut myself or anything like that. I mean, I've been sick a few times, but most girls my age do more than that due to insecurities or something."

"Beca, self-mutilation/harm isn't just one thing. It is anything which causes damage to yourself purposefully without actually causing death. Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia are incorporated into this term. Now, it's important you tell me truthfully how recently this has happened Beca and for how long. We can only help you if you help us first by telling us."

Sighing reluctantly, Beca concluded that she wasn't going to be able to escape this with casual comments and excuses dodging the questions, "I first had the idea about a year ago, but only tried it in the last part of the half-term holidays. It wasn't because of me hating my body or anything, I mean sure there are quite a few things I wouldn't mind changing about myself, but I know this isn't the way to do it. I've been doing it since."

"So..why do you do it?" He asked, genuinely interested to know, it seemed to Beca.

"Umm..I don't know. It's just a routine now, I can't help it. My stomach doesn't like food in it. I used to eat tons but now I just can't hold it."

"That's because your body has adapted to fit this new habit, and finds it unnatural and incapable of trying to go back to eating bigger portions and keeping them down." Beca nodded, understanding. She could feel her stomach tightening and the nervous feeling creeping up her insides for telling her secret, just like with Chloe before. But this time she didn't know if the secret would stay between just the two of them, "Dr Kumar?" He looked up from his note-taking and she continued, "Is this confidential..?"

Understanding, he replied gently, "The details and reasons you share with me are confidential unless they include major problems at home, which requires my informing social services for your safety, or the risk of you hurting yourself. So, I'm afraid that it seems you do, in fact, suffer from an eating disorder. Luckily, it's been caught earlier, but you parents still need alerting. However, you don't need to worry about anyone else hearing about this - we don't give out our patient's information to outside sources." He smiled sympathetically, trying to calm the teenager but failing as her mind hovered over the idea of her Dad being told. It would crush him, or he'd just deny it and pretend she was fine - like usual. He wanted a perfect little daughter, and though she appeared different in most aspects, he still believed otherwise.

"I have two last questions for this initial form. You've been a huge help so far and your honesty has helped a lot, thank you Beca. So, have you ever had suicidal thoughts?"

Beca thought about this, and remembered when her parents first split up how she'd felt like her world had been turned upside down. She'd considered it lightly back then, but never properly and not recently so decided to go with, "No, I haven't."

"Good," He nodded again, "And last one..on a scale of 1-10, what would you rank you current mood and usual mood these days? 1 being nearly suicidal, 10 being brilliant/at the top of your game."

"Umm," Beca contemplated carefully, "Well, right now I'm probably a 4. But usually I'd say I'm at the most a 3, maybe even just a 2."

"Okay.." Dr Kumar finished scribbling on the form and clicked his pen off before looking up.

"Right, well our session is basically over for today. Because I'm a qualified doctor as well as counselor, I can make an assessment on what I feel we are dealing with here." Beca looked at him intently, her knee jerking and toes tapping uncontrollably at a fast rate. He looked down to read from his notes, "From what you've said today and the referral, I am going to diagnose you with a serious eating disorder of bulimia along with suffering from depression (inconclusive as to which type as of yet, though suspected to be Major Depression Disorder) and minor Social Anxiety Disorder (also known as 'Social Phobia'). You must understand these disorders, though they cannot be banished fully (unlike the eating disorder) we can control them via a method which suits you. My thoughts are that you try some CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and, if that's unsuccessful, then seek a low dose of medication."

Beca looked at his blank face now looking at her sleep-deprived one, "What's Cognitive Behavioural Therapy..?"

"It's the most common type of psychological treatment for bulimia. It involves talking to a therapist (in this scenario one of my colleagues which s the most common type of psychological treatment for bulimia. It involves talking to a therapist and looking at your emotions in detail to work out new ways of thinking about situations, feelings and food. in this area) and looking at your emotions in detail to work out new ways of thinking about situations, feelings and food. However, this only works if you are willing to open your mind to the possibility of a better future via positive thinking."

Beca snorted involuntarily at the description of it, "No offence, but I'm not sure that's for me..I mean, I've never been that 'glass is half full' kinda person, and I know I never will be. In all honesty, that therapy would be a waste of your colleague's time with me."

"Okay, thank you again for your honesty. Are you absolutely sure about this?" Beca nodded and he continued, "Well, I normally make my patient's at least try it, but seeing as you're rather self-aware and this is a set of disorders which need controlling as soon as possible, while they've only become problematic recently, maybe we should try the medication.. You're 17 years old anyway, which makes us more lenient towards you being supplied with it, plus you haven't had suicidal thoughts. What is your opinion on medication?"

"I've never had it so don't really know..okay I guess. Depends on side effects, etc."

"Well, I'm going to prescribe to you the SSRI (which is a typical anti-depressant) called fluoxetine. It's brand name is more famous: Prozac. This anti-depressant is specific towards treating bulimia as well as it helping decrease your social anxiety and depression. That sound alright to you?" Beca just nodded again.

"I'm going to start you off on an incredibly low dosage because you're not an adult yet and this technically shouldn't be for under 18's, but you will be soon. So..let's say 20mg. That'll be one capsule a day to be taken with a drink (and preferably snack) at breakfast. Now, it takes a while to work its way into your system and take effect, so give it time. Also, I should warn you that sometimes, as aside effect, it causes patients to become suicidal or want to harm themselves more. Should you feel this, you MUST contact the clinic immediately and either organise to see me or one of my colleagues as soon as possible. However, there's no need to worry because this is all normal and just a precaution anyhow." Beca made no reaction or hint at trying to reply so Dr Kumar murmured how he'd be back in a couple of minutes and just needed to fill out the prescription.

While he was gone, the small brunette sat still with the exception of her wobbling knee and rattly ribcage as she heaved hurriedly in a panicked state. What would her Dad's reaction be? Beca wondered, fearful. Would Sheila blab to her bimbo friends? What if the other pupils found out? What if Jesse, Benji & Emily found out? What if Stacie found out? What if Chloe found out from Stacie..? She became more and more panicked as her thoughts wandered until the noise of the door closing behind the Asian man made Beca jump to attention. She stood shakily as she was handed the prescription paper and scanned it with her eyes quickly.

"See you again in a month, Beca. We can make any revisions on the medication if need be then, once they've started to be absorbed into your system."

Beca politely thanked the man for his time before leaving the room, walking down the corrider and past the area of seats filled with waiting patients, and out the entrance/exit doors. The harsh wind struck the girl sharply in the face and she slipped the light green paper into her coat pocket before pulling the collar closer to her face and pulling fingerless gloved over her palms. Once her earphones were in place, and her phone's music blasting, the brunette set off up the road.

 **50 Minutes Later**

Beca closed the front door as quietly as she could, but it still made a thump. Clattering and hushed whispers stopped in the kitchen and a familiar shrill voice called.

"Is that you, Beca darling?" Beca rolled her eyes as she unlaced her boots and shrugged off her coat.

"Yeah..it's me."

Benjamin Mitchell now shouted from the kitchen, "I thought you were going to call and get one of us to pick you up."

"Nah, I decided to walk so I could go by the pharmacy," Beca walked into the kitchen to face the two adults as she ended the sentence as casually as possible, "And pick up my prescription."

Alarmed, Sheila started with the questions, "Prescription? What's it for?"

Beca glanced at her Dad, who stood still with a grim expression and clear thoughts of denial running through his head. She then replied to her step-Mum as he walked silently out of the room and into his study, closing the door after him.

"Oh, it's nothing. I've been having trouble keeping food down, so it's just to help with that - get into a good routine again, you know."

"Aww poor you, I had no idea your tummy was being such a meanie!" the blonde sounded patronising, but what was amusing was the fact that she actually was genuinely just stupid and thought she was speaking with no hint of being condescending whatsoever. She was about to lean forward and give the teenager an embrace, but thought better of it as she remembered how Beca seemed to have issues with physical contact. Plus, Beca had been getting on relatively okay with the 'step-monster' this school year, for the most part, and Sheila didn't want to risk being banished back into the branded world of hatred. Instead, she settled with resting her hands on her hips, tilting her head and pouting in an attempt at issuing sympathy. She spoke through her surgically-filled lips with a sickly sweet voice, trying to be comforting, "You go on up to bed now, get some rest. I'll bring you up a hot water bottle and herbal tea once the kettle's boiled. When do you need to have your medicine?"

"Every morning. Don't worry, I'll keep track of it. Thanks Sheila." Beca turned on her heel after giving a half smile to the woman and strolled back to the stairs. She took her coat, boots and bag with the pills up to her room.

The door swung open, and Beca was greeted with the smell of comfort as she dumped her boots in the pile of shoes, hung her coat loosely off the wardrobe door rather than inside, and put her medication on her desk next to her keyboard and headphones. After that, she stripped down to her underwear and put on a large, baggy navy men's t-shirt which served as her pyjama top/dress for the small girl. Sleepily, she slipped under her thick duvet and curled up in it while also cradling a pillow in her arms. Within a few minutes she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and then her door creaked open - shining light from the upstairs hallway into the dark cave. The long fingernails carefully placed a coaster and steaming cup of strong-smelling red berry tea on Beca's bedside table, and the hot water bottle on the bed by the curled up lump. A pale hand crept out from the covers and dragged the hot water bottle under the covers to exude its warmth nearer the half-asleep girl. Beca murmured her thanks to the figure leaving her room, who replied, "No problem, sweet pea. Now don't you keep hurting yourself and pushing us away, it only hurts those of us who love you more." The last few words from the woman were lost in the atmosphere before reaching the brunette's brain, as she faded away in an exhausted mental collapse, like her thoughts were being sucked into their own sleep-deprived black hole.


	7. Traditions, Expectations, Assumptions

**A/N Hey guys, I'm sorry it's been quite a while - been busy with exams, but after Wednesday you shall have my full attention! Hope you like this part and are still sticking through it all :)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **25th December (at the Mitchell household)**

Christmas Day was among one of the best times of the year for the majority of students Beca knew - they loved the presents and huge meals with friendly relatives, but sadly it wasn't jovial for all.

It was a couple of minutes past midnight and the teenager couldn't sleep. She lay on her bed, with her back sinking into the soft mattress and her eyes staring up into the blackness above her. Typically, this was due to a child being overexcited, and before Beca's parents split up that was how she felt. However, once she was no longer shadowed by both parents the relatives began to take interest in her at these annual meals..and she dreaded it.

What if she lost her already short temper and had an outburst? Or, worse, a mental breakdown like all those young models/celebrities whose parents forced them into the career path for money and not mental wellbeing? Beca had many fears and catastrophic scenarios plaguing her thoughts. When her Mum had been there, she'd never had to deal with her relatives' questions and jibes because her parents (as a united force back then) would do all they could to keep their little daughter protected from pressuring queries and snide comments. Now, however, her Dad just tried to avoid them and protect Sheila - Beca was left to fend for herself.

As an attempt to reassure herself, the brunette went through the traditional day's events analysing it. She knew the greetings were manageable in the mid-morning, and it was all a bit hectic so no one really paid too much attention to the small teenager in the corner with a fake, toothy grin plastered on her face. Sure enough, a few relatives would make some height jokes at her and she'd have to laugh along as if they didn't repeat them EVERY year, but that still wasn't too bad. Then, she could go to her room for about an hour while all the adults had coffees and discussed politics, the economy, and other boring shit she wasn't interested in, and the young and badly behaved ones would fight over their newest technology from their stockings. Next would be presents - she'd be okay so long as she didn't let the patronising format of how the adults got their presents separately to her and the young children, and she could fake happiness & surprise at the awful gifts. That was still all okay, and she'd also then get 20 minutes to herself when taking her gifts up to her room and hiding for a bit. However, that was the peak of the day in Beca's opinion, as next was the playing of card games (where most of the older family members had to basically be given step-by-step instructions as to how to play each turn) which was tedious and rather painful to endure. Then, it was the worst two parts - the meal and the coffee/tea round after the meal when questions were asked. Beca hated this because, firstly, her Dad was a patronising git to her at these events - no avoiding the truth or harsh reality there. Then, her relatives liked to probe conversational topics which were personal without realising they were intruding. This led to Beca's Dad telling her off (loudly and in front of everyone) when she got offended and closed herself off from everyone.

Beca realised it may not seem like much trouble to anyone else, and just a white vaguely middle-class teenage girl in a first-world complaining. But, just because she lives in an 'MEDC' and isn't homeless doesn't change the fact she's upset by something, does it? The brunette understood and respected the issues she didn't but could have had, and was definitely grateful. However, this didn't prevent her from feeling sad at times. Instead, she'd get upset and then a little voice in her head would pipe up with this argument and tell her she's ungrateful and she'd end up feeling guilty for pitying herself when she had such a good life compared to many others in the world.

This battling set of thoughts circled the troubled girl's mind among others throughout the night, and she was denied sleep no matter what she did. There was a brief amount of time while Beca did sit-ups, press-ups and some back exercises on her bedroom floor that the thoughts seemed to grow dimmer. However, sure enough, they came flooding back at full volume once she collapsed, defeated.

 **8 Hours Later**

Pigeons cooed and squawked objections at one another as the sun's frosty white rays crept over the hills and pierced through the edges of Beca's blind. Groaning, the sleep-deprived zombie turned towards the dark wall and turned the music on her ipod up a little; as if blasting the music through her earbuds louder would manage to scare the sunlight and day away from appearing. She hadn't wanted the night of no sleep to last, but also didn't want the dreaded day to occur. After a few more songs had played, Beca arose and grabbed her towel before heading across to the bathroom (yawning and stretching as she went).

Before entering the shower, the brunette ran the tap at the sink, wetted her hands and splashed her face with the cool drops of water. Next, she examined the dark circles under her eyes, sighing dejectedly at the lack of options she could do. Finally, the small brunette gathered the necessary products for bathing herself and ran the shower.

The stream of water, heating up by the minute, soothingly woke the girl from her meditative state and helped act as a representation for washing away the non-existent grime she felt she'd gathered, and the thoughts which had haunted her. Before she knew it, her lips parted and words began to flow out.

"You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you say..

I'm talking loud, not saying much.

I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet,

You shoot me down, but I get up."

Beca breathes in sharply as the cold shampoo reaches her roots.

"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose. Fire away. Fire away. Ricochet, you take your aim, fire away, fire away. Oh you shoot me down, but I won't fall..I am titanium.."

Her lower chimes echoed melodically in the room, bouncing off of the tiled walls and propelling themselves with the force of bullets back at the teenager, inspiring her further. She was just starting the second chorus when a soft knock at the bathroom door followed by a 'Merry Christmas, darlin' from Sheila interrupted, and Beca - embarrassed - didn't continue aloud. She hated singing in public, hence her always doing mash-ups with music artists' voices in her previous music coursework. However, her thoughts drifted to current schoolwork, her music teacher had said that in order to get a good grade she'd have to use an original voice - either being hers or someone else's. She was not looking forward to that..especially as she had a lack of musically talented friends, and had barely spoken to the other people in her music class. Coursework..Beca internally rolled her eyes and her mind led her to her passion about wanting to just get out into the world and learn via practicality - no petty coursework involved.

Once her skin was dry and locks of hair falling in damp waves around her pale face, Beca got her make-up bag and set about concealing her marks of sleeplessness and making her face as angelic as possible..with the typical thick eyeliner to keep a bit of her at least, even when lacking the dark eye shadow to match. As for clothing, Beca knew exactly what to wear. In the back of her wardrobe, she had several Christmas-style jumpers (given previous years by a distant aunt in America) which she found tolerable enough to wear for days when enduring an event with family. For this year, she chose to go for a navy wide crew neck jumper with a pattern of dark pink snow flakes covering it. This complimented her pale skin and prominent collar bone (not that she noticed) and went well with her light blue pair of skinnies. Pleased, she realised she wouldn't even have to remove her partially-flecked black nail polish, or all of her ear piercings! The day was looking up..maybe.

 **3 Hours Later**

The doorbell impatiently buzzed repeatedly, and the three inside the house hurried to perfect themselves and their surroundings before rushing to the entrance. Sheila's long, scarlet red fake nails and long fingers twist the door and as it swoops open three small blurred figures rush past, almost knocking the blonde over. Beca hesitated at the top of the stairs as she watched the sight below her in the entrance hall: Sheila & her Dad were hugging and kissing the cheeks of her Uncle Jerry and Aunt Josie while the three boys known as her cousins Ben, Jake & Tom discarded their shoes messily and rushed into the living room. On their shoulders rested small backpacks, most likely filled with the gifts their parents had spoiled them with that day, Beca thought grimly to herself. She took a deep breath as she slid her socked foot down onto the next step.

"Beca!" Josie exclaimed joyfully, leaning in to plant a sticky kiss on the uncomfortable teenager's cheek as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She forced her fake smile on and said monotonously, "Hey Auntie Josie & Uncle Jerry. You get here alright?" The question was a classic, and Jerry started a long drawling speech about the traffic possibilities on the motorways but how they 'luckily' managed to escape it. Once polite pleasantries and small-talk were exchanged, Dr. Mitchell led his sister and her dull husband dressed in matching ugly beige cardigans into the living room to join their sons. Beca and Sheila went to the kitchen to assemble a plate of biscuits and tray of coffees.

As Sheila moved from the fridge to the cupboards of snacks back to the work top with the tray and plate, she sighed with what Beca interpreted as a somewhat crestfallen tone.

"Umm.." the teenager hesitantly spoke up, "Are you..okay?"

The blonde turned and put on a thin smile (clearly fake) before replying, "I'm..I'll be alright. It's just tough with this family. I know they like your Mum and don't exactly welcome newcomers..very traditional s'all." She shrugged, as if to brush it off when it clearly hurt her.

"But Dad's traditional, too. Yet he likes you.." Beca tried to reassure, looking anywhere but at the blonde as she felt the awkwardness seeping from her.

"Oh he's nothing compared to..them," she almost spat the word 'them' but just managed to resist, "When I said 'hi' do you know what Josie said? She said..she said how I looked so young that Benjamin should watch because I could be off with the local paper boy!"

Beca didn't particularly like the blonde, and resented how she could be a lot of the time, but even she acknowledged how cunningly snide this hidden insult was. Her jaw fell open and her eyes widened as she uncontrollably squeaked, "Seriously?! That's..that's really shitty. I'm sorry." Sheila nodded and sniffed, acknowledging her step-daughter's genuine tone and appreciating it, "Yeah..I guess you understand. They treat you badly too, because you aren't filling their stereotype, I think. Sorry, I'm so silly blubbering here-"

"No, you have a right to be upset. That was so snide, and covered up like a compliment so you can't even retaliate. I'll take the stuff through, you can err..take some time." Beca gave a quick sympathetic smile before maneuvering around Sheila to pour the fresh coffee into the mugs set out. She then lifted these onto the tray with a few teaspoons, a small dish of sugar and a small china floral jug of chilled milk. The tray propped itself onto Beca's right arm, its one edge in the palm of her hand (fingers wrapped around tightly) and the opposite side lodged in her 'elbow pit'. With her left hand, she grasped the large plate of various chocolatey biscuits.

Walking at the pace of a snail, Beca hobbled carefully into the living room and set down the plate of biscuits (to which the three boys rushed to and grabbed masses of), and then used her free hand to hand out the coffees to the three adults. She backed out of the room before she could have the spotlight shone on her and as she was heading back to the kitchen, the doorbell rang again.

Spinning on her heel, the brunette - with her locks flying around her crazily in the momentum of her turn - opened the door and smiled with fake sweetness at the people before her.

"Grandma, Grandpa. Get here alright?" Beca spoke like a robot, using her typical small-talk question as she whisked them in and exchanged hugs. They removed their scarves and coats, piling them on her as her round Grandfather bellowed in response, "Was a bit troublesome, yes. The roads are awful on that road out there," He gestured through the now-closed door with his big thumb as his Welsh accent rolled on through the atmosphere, "Where's Benjamin?"

"In the living room," Beca replied politely, trying to ignore how her Grandma feigned to even acknowledge her presence as the two complete opposites disappeared to meet their son.

Beca never understood her Grandma & Grandpa's marriage: she was stick thin and constantly made jibes about no one being thin enough/doing enough exercise, while her husband was majorly overweight and as close to the human version of a bulldog (and a barrel) that you could get. Also, he was loud and demanding, while she was pathetically weak and constantly dithering. Maybe it was how he was a major misogynist and she was a complete housewife that they got along..old-fashioned views seemed to be the only thing her family believed in, Beca thought grimly. That was why they had all loved her Mum & Dad's relationship: They met through their traditional career (both being in the medical area), they dated for a few years before a traditional church marriage, and then had a legitimate child traditionally a few years later. It was all stupid to Beca; her relatives didn't seem to care whether her parents got along or worked in their relationship, only that they were doing everything in the 'right' order, the 'right' way.

A few more relatives had arrived, including her Great Aunt Grace, Great Uncle Richard & their two grown-up daughters, Jess and Corrie. Jess was also short and had slightly lighter shoulder-length brown hair and pretty green eyes. She was slim, yet her body curved flatteringly, though the 21 year-old didn't show it with the baggy dark green pullover and black jeans she wore. Whereas, Corrie adorned tight curly blonde hair and was taller (a spitting image of her Great Aunt Grace's 25 year-old self) with a straighter body shape. She wore the traditional clothing of a baby blue blouse and cream cardigan with an old-woman-style long, shapeless brown pencil skirt. Beca had always got along with and liked Jess, but she was rarely at family gatherings due to attending university in France so the teenager had learned to bare her teeth in an awful grin and get through it alone. Despite this nice surprise, Beca wasn't going to pass up on her opportunity to get an hour or so to herself upstairs while everyone talked boringly in the room. Her relatives in America weren't going to be attending, obviously, and this year Sheila had warned her family not to attend because of how awfully the last meet-up when her parents were there went. Also, normally Beca's Mum's side of the family came along but this year weren't for no reason other than laziness and not feeling they had to see their grand daughter anymore. Therefore, this year was a much smaller gathering..this just meant less distractions and other people being focused upon for Beca, though.

"Where are you off to?" Benjamin Mitchell queried his daughter walking up the stairs. Beca cursed inwardly as she turned to see her Dad and Sheila holding more trays of loaded steaming drinks, and water for the younger cousins.

"Umm.." Beca pondered, thinking carefully of her wording, "I was just going to get some quiet time..to..err..read?" She ended the answer more like a question, as if to ask if that excuse was good enough, than a sure statement and her Dad noticed, his eyes narrowing.

"You get your 'book'," He glared and spoke with a low, aggressive tone, "And you read down here. My..no OUR family has travelled to see us and celebrate Christmas with us. The least YOU could do is let them spend it with your presence." Beca huffed, but unlike usual Dr. Mitchell noticed it and snapped - he always became more agitated and easier to escalate in anger when his relatives were around; he was on edge.

"Don't you DARE huff at me," His voice escalated a little, "All I'm asking is for you to spend some time with your family when they've taken time to do so. Is that so unreasonable?"

Beca narrowed her eyes, "Compared to everything else you've demanded of me, no I guess not. But, if you're actually actually how my 'family' treat me then yes, yes it fucking is."

"DON'T USE THAT LANGUAGE IN MY HOUSE!" The man had gone red with fury, and frustration, and his voice become a full bellow. The chatter behind the door to the living room ceased for a second before, awkwardly, a higher pitched female broke in (probably Sheila, Beca thought, her other relatives were too nosy to pass up an opportunity to eavesdrop on an argument).

"I have a right! If I could, I wouldn't live here. But you just want to control EVERYTHING! I can't even do what I want in MY life!" The frustrated brunette didn't mean to bring it up, but it constantly bugged her how controlling her Dad was, especially with the decisions SHE should be making.

"Is this what it's all about? That stupid idea you have of stopping school to do an apprenticeship or something, helping some unknown musician and getting nowhere-"

"DON'T YOU SEE?!" Beca yelled, officially reaching her breaking point, "YOU CALL MY CHOICE 'STUPID' AND WRITE IT OFF, SAYING I WON'T GET ANYWHERE JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE MOST ACADEMIC CHOICE!"

"Beca," he huffed, lowering his voice yet remaining infuriated, "It's not an academic choice AT ALL. You're better than that, you could do so many things with your life! You could go to university like Jess, and then go into a major professional career like Corrie with her law-"

"There you go," Beca snapped, "You can't resist but compare me to our family. Just because I'm..different. Just because I don't want to stick to the traditional path. Well, I'm sorry Dad. Sorry I'm such a disappointment for wanting to transition in my education to a scheme which suits me best. I mean, I could be a drug addict or a prostitute, or even pregnant! But, you know, you're right. Me wanting to do something practical in my life is MUCH worse than any of that." A tear escaped and began to roll angrily down Beca's red cheeks before being brushed away with frustration by the fiery teenager.

"Now that's not fair.." Beca's Dad took a slow breath, returning to a calm state before proceeding, "I just want the best for you. If you were to go off and leave 6th form college, and it didn't work then you'll have wasted a couple of substantial years of your life! I'm trying..though not doing so well I guess..to look after you. Sorry, Beca." He looked down at his feet downheartedly, creasing his brow before meeting his daughter's glistening eyes, "You really know you can do this?"

"Yes," the teenager nodded with sincerity, "I'm sure. I'm determined to make it work."

"Okay..I'll make a compromise, because I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to control and steer your life from where you want to go. Complete this year of school, take your AS exams, pass them. Then, if you still want to chase this dream I'll let you swap and apply to an apprenticeship. However, you have to make an effort - I need to see you're trying. You need to not distance from your friends, or drop in grades. That way, IF the whole apprenticeship doesn't work out, you have AS results already and can just go to a college for your final year. If I see you try, I'll do all I can to help you get on the best track. That sound alright?"

Beca's eyes were wide with shock and it took a few seconds for her to find her voice, "Are..are you being serious?"

"Of course. I do care about you, Beca. I want the best for you."

Smiling with genuine happiness, relieved tears started to fall down her cheeks, and she managed to croak, "Thanks, Dad. I'll do it - I won't let you down."

"You better not or you'll have to stay at 6th form and then go to university," he said sternly before adding more softly, "Now, you go and clean yourself up and grab that book."

"Okay Dad," Beca gulped before turning and heading up the stairs. Dr Mitchell watched his daughter, shook his head at her determination before returning to the dull chatter in the living room.

 **30 Minutes Later**

"What's that book you're reading, Beca?" the Welsh voice belonging to her Grandpa boomed from the armchair across the room.

"It's called 'The Art Of War' by Sun Tzu," Jess interjected with genuine enthusiasm it seemed - which amused Beca.

Her Grandpa, however, huffed before replying to the two brunettes, "A book on war? That's not very lady-like."

Beca glanced over to see Jess' look of distaste briefly before she brushed it off to a blank expression and replied, "It's not really about that. It's philosophical and applying tactics for war metaphorically to any human's lifestyle."

Beca added, "It's a humanitarian view on, well..life, really."

Both girls smirked when the chauvinist squashing the chair clearly didn't understand what that meant and simply muttered an 'Ahh I see' before returning to his own newspaper. Jess got off the sofa where she'd been squeezed in with her sister and parents to join Beca sat in the corner of the room on the cream carpet.

"So, long time no see, eh?" She joked in a friendly tone, gaining a chuckle from the younger girl.

"Yeah..how's being French?" Beca cheekily joked in response.

"C'est bien, merci!" She chimed, with fake enthusiasm and a heavy French accent. Beca rolled her eyes, and earned a shove from the older brunette.

"So," Jess leaned in closer to whisper, "You ready for the dreaded questions later?"

"Well, I've already had the one on my book so-"

"Oh that doesn't count," Jess scoffed, "That was..a warm-up insult!"

Beca chuckled again, "Well, in that case, no I don't think I am."

"D'you wanna do a rehearsal?" Jess asked, a little more serious.

"What?" Beca furrowed her brow in confusion.

"A rehearsal. I know the questions which will be asked, I could prep you so you don't say something which'll upset dear old Dad," She put on a babyish voice towards the end, as if to mock the entire incentive.

"Okay, gives us an opportunity to escape any further sexist comments in this room, right?" Beca whispered back at the grinning woman - though she seemed not a day older than the teenager in how she acted.

"Benjamin," Jess spoke up, addressing Beca's Dad, "D'you mind Beca showing me the other books and school stuff she has?"

"Err..no not at all," Dr Mitchell replied, slightly taken aback. Both girls got up and strode out the room, trying not to laugh at the older girl's clearly fake excuse for them to leave.

Beca strolled into her room casually, turning to see the other girl gaping at her room as she too stepped in. This was the first time Jess had seen it, and she needed a moment for eyes to adjust from the light hallway to the dark blacks and greys of Beca's bedroom.

"You like?" Beca queried, unsure of what the other girl's expression was.

"Oh yeah, definitely. I love it! Just took a second for my eyes to adjust..to the awesomeness," She winked and chuckled at her own joke, Beca rolled her eyes in response, which only caused more laughter.

"So..I believe we need to rehearse, or do you want to see my Russian schoolwork?"

"Hmm..tough call as I do adore looking AS Russian classwork..but I think I'll save that best till last. Rehearsal it is!"

"Okey dokey," Beca sunk into her leather swivel chair as Jess excitedly dragged the pale grey bean-bag armchair to be opposite her in the centre of the room and plopped down into it.

"Right, you ready for the first question?"

"No but go for it."

"How's school? Getting top grades like Corrie (and the almighty goddess Jess) did?" Jess gave a lop-sided smile, trying to make the tense teenager before her calm a little.

"Err..yeah I'm doing okay. Not sure what grades really, it's all a bit on-going at the moment."

"Ooh vague - good answer! You can't be questioned further on grades that way. What's your favourite subject then?"

"Music, definitely." Beca answered immediately.

"No," Jess shook her head, "You can't say that you'll receive comments on what a difficult industry that is to find work, and your Dad will try and stop you if he hears that and believes it. Say you're not sure if you don't wanna say something different."

Beca nodded, absorbing the truth of this, "Alright. Next question?"

"Future plans."

"Should I say it's all up in the air still? I know they'll make comments about me being unprepared and how Corrie knew she wanted to do law since she was 4 years old, or something stupid, but I can't tell them about my ideas on the music industry, or say I'm considering academia when I'm not.."

"Yeah," Jess nodded slowly with a pensive look in her emerald eyes, "Yeah..that'll be the best option. Now, here's the one you're gonna have the most trouble with."

"Umm..okay.." Beca hesitated, wary.

Jess put on a deep voice, to represent Great Uncle Richard's (or perhaps Uncle Jerry, but he tended to just talk about road traffic and the weather rather than care about his wife's teenage niece), "So, Beca, you're what 17 now, surely you have a boyfriend? Or at least some admirers?"

Beca blushed and looked down at this immediately. Jess spoke up in her more instructive voice, "No no, you can't do that. You CAN'T look down. If you look down, they'll think you do and won't shut up about it. I know you can't help blushing, which is a shame, but if you keep eye contact with whoever asks the question then the blush will be discarded as you just finding it a personal subject. They're all so old-fashioned they expect that from a 'lady'. Try answering again."

"Okay.." Beca looked Jess in the eyes and replied as confidently as she could, "I'm..I'm trying to focus on balancing friends and schoolwork for now. Boys aren't a priority fo-"

"Nope, you started off okay. Though you should leave out the friends part because they'll then be all incredulous that you rank your friends higher than having a boyfriend. And you can't say boys aren't a priority because you'll give it away. Maybe say something slightly different like that you're focusing on your schoolwork for now to give you the best start in the adult world, and boys will just be a distraction which you can't risk? Now you try wording it yourself," the older brunette criticised kindly.

"Alright," Beca took a deep breath and furrowed her brow in concentration, "No boyfriends because I'm trying to make sure I achieve the best I can at school for preparing me for..life, and boys would just take my mind from that goal. How was that?"

"Pretty good," the fellow small brunette smirked, "I'll warn you now that they'll probably follow with comments how you're not learning 'certain stuff' if you don't have a boyfriend," She saw Beca's inquisitive look, "They'll be referring to sex. I'll jump in and say there's plenty of time for that if it gets awkward. Hopefully, everyone will be laughing and you just politely join in."

"Umm..okay. Thanks Jess."

"No problem. Those are the most difficult questions for you I think," she rose in one swift motion from the bean bag and went over to a bookshelf to study the contents. Beca's mind processed the conversation they'd just had before realising something which had confused her slightly, "Jess?"

"Hmm?" The older brunette replied, not turning around from the novels before her.

"What..what did you mean by..well, when you said I'll 'give it away'?" Beca felt her cheeks redden and she used all her willpower to not cast her gaze down to the carpet at her feet. A small voice knew what it was her relative was going to say, but she wanted to know for sure.

"Well you're gay right, Beca?" At the sound of her name she made eye contact with the intense green orbs of her companion, too weak to break the contact. She nodded, mutely. Too weak to even speak.

"Don't worry," Jess sat back down and patted Beca's knee with an outstretched hand in an attempt to calm the clearly panicked girl, "I'm not going to say anything. I'm helping you out to not tell, remember?" She grinned at the wide-eyed teenager who looked so much younger when afraid like she was frozen in that chair. Jess sighed, "Look, you probably want to know how I know," Beca nodded, not saying a word, "Well..I've suspected it for a long time actually, but it's more prominent now. Maybe because you know yourself and have embraced/accepted it? Also..ugh I don't wanna say this.." She sighed before continuing, "Takes one to know one, eh?" She chuckled nervously in the awkward silence as Beca slowly brought her brain to life and then her ability to speak once again.

"You're..?"

"Yes," Jess replied firmly, "Though I'd appreciate your discretion. This family believe I am dating a fellow male uni-student, Alex, and I would like to keep it that way as long as possible. This is a tip for you actually, show them pictures of you with a group of friends and be stood by a male, then they make the assumptions of who the person is. I haven't physically lied to them, I just haven't corrected them when wrong."

"Isn't that bad..for if it's serious, I mean?" Beca croaked in a hitched whisper, finding a strand of what was her voice. Jess nodded in response, agreeing, "Oh yeah, well it is kinda serious already..we're both committed. And when the time is right I will apologise for allowing them to be misled and I will correct them. If they really love me then they won't mind or be affected to much - simple as that."

"But..our family is so traditional. It's not like that, you know? They want us all to follow their expectations of us and to do what is traditional. I mean, my Dad's a doctor and he married my Mum, the nurse - how stereotypical old-school do you get?! I'll support you no matter what though, Jess," Beca soothed, putting her hand on top of the now slightly trembling hand still resting on her knee.

"Thanks Beca," Jess smiled with a hint of sadness bringing the corners of her mouth down a little, "It's a shame it's like this for so many people still.." She added solemnly.

Sheila's voice echoed up the stairs and, though it was muffled, Beca guessed what it was. The two of them stood and Beca gave the fellow brunette a hug, "You know, you're the only relative I have whom I actually like and tolerate, Jess." The young woman sniffled a little and chuckled before pulling out of the hug and replying, "Well, I would say the same about you but I'm not sure I could go that far.." She did her lop-sided grin and winked again before leading the laughing teenager downstairs to the meal.


	8. Shattering Sights

**A/N Sorry it's been a bit of time, but I appreciate the commitment from you guys! It really helps to inspire :)**

 **You have my full attention now so expect more soon and enjoy this chapter!**

 **29th December (Beca strangely still alive)**

Frost began to thaw as the morning shifted to midday and the tired teenager waited patiently for her PC to whir to life and Facebook to load up. Suddenly, a series of pings erupted and Beca sat to attention. Her pale fingers drifted across the surface of the well-worn mouse pad as she navigated the messages and various random notifications.

 _Stacie: Hey Becs, you coming to my New Year's Eve party to round off the year? Xx_

Frantically, Beca thought of an excuse to give in response. For some reason, she still just didn't feel like the stress of socialising - it was physically draining to just think about, let alone do. Especially a huge party.

 _Beca: Err..sorry Stace I think I'm doing stuff with Jesse, Benji & Emily already. Another time maybe?_

Stacie's profile popped up to show her typing an immediate reply.

 _Stacie: I think you're mixing up your arrangements, those guys are coming to the party - I invited them so they couldn't steal you :p_

Beca groaned. This meant Stacie was cornering the smaller brunette, forcing her to oblige. Even if Beca feigned being ill or simply didn't show she was sure Stacie would probably visit her and still drag her to the party. Could you really call a night of regrettable actions under the influence of alcohol in an overcrowded house a party? Beca shook her head, accepting her forced acceptance of the invitation.

 _Beca: I guess so, in that case I guess I'll see you there. How come your parents are letting you wreck their pristine home?!_

 _Stacie: They're going till the following evening. So long as everything's cleaned up and not vandalised when they get back they don't care what I choose to do :) PARTY TIMEEE!_

 _Beca: That's pretty cool of them. What time it starting?_

 _Stacie: Be there at like 9-9.30? It'll be just starting to kick off probably about then. Xx_

 _Beca: Okey dokey, see ya!_

Beca chose to finish replying to messages, including an enthusiastic thank you from Jesse for his invitation to "an actual house party". This brought a smile to the typically pessimistic girl; yet again seeing the child-like personality in her friend. After that, the brunette turned off her laptop and manipulated the remainder of the day into an opportunity for sleep.

 **31st December (evening)**

Clothes lay strewn messily across the floor, making the carpet almost invisible. Skinny jeans in multiple shades, plaid shirts and plain vest tops piled on top of one another - as if competing to be seen most and saved from the ground.

Normally, the brunette would have thrown on anything that felt comfy but for some unknown reason inside her, which she couldn't quite place, she wanted to look as good as she could for the party. Beca had been wondering upon her outfit for the past hour, after emerging from her shower, and it was getting near to when she'd need to start walking the trek to Stacie's.

Sighing, Beca conclusively gave into the frustration and chose to just pick a comfy pair of typical black skinnies, a black vest top and a dark mossy green plaid shirt made from a thicker, more woollen material. With this outfit, she pulled on a pair of black matt DM's, an assortment of only black and studded bracelets and a black necklace with a small metallic heart pendant hanging from it. With her thick application of eye liner and smokey overall eye make-up, Beca felt relatively at ease as she gathered her keys and phone.

"Bye Dad, I'll be back by 2. I'm at Stacie's and have my phone," Beca called into the living room as she hurried past and out the door before her Dad could object to their pre-arrangements.

Once outside, Beca stuck her keys in the sleek machine parked outside the house and pushed the helmet onto her head before shrugging a leather jacket on over her shirt. Swinging her leg over, the brunette lifted herself onto the motorcycle and kickstarted the engine. The motor purred appreciatively and roared to life under her as she edged up the speed and pulled out onto the road.

 **40 Minutes Later**

As the keys were left their slot, the engine cut to silence and Beca slid off. She took off her gear and pushed it into the top case before locking it all up securely. Sighing deeply and wondering what she'd gotten herself into, the brunette turned to the building blaring beats and trudged up the driveway to the door.

Unsure how to act, Beca chose to ring the doorbell. Within a couple of seconds it flung open and a drunken girl slung herself clumsily into the smaller frame. Taken aback at her hostess's greeting, Beca struggled to support Stacie's pushing weight and was grateful when the taller brunette began to draw back..not before planting a strong kiss on the awkward girl's right hand side of her cheek - just bordering the jawline.

"Thank youus verryyyy verryyyy mooch!" Stacie exclaimed as she grabbed the blushing Beca's wrist and dragged her inside.

"Err..no problem. This is..cool." Beca fished for the compliment and earned a beaming smile of satisfaction in return, "Told us this would be funnn, Becs! Go have funnn!" And with that the taller girl was gone, weaving through the crowds of people cluttering the hallway. Signing dejectedly, Beca battled past the mass of bodies to where she knew the kitchen - and inevitably alcohol - would be. Sure enough, an array of bottles stood on the work surface as a drinking game with beer ensued on the table she'd last seen Stacie's Dad sat at when she was over in the half-term holiday. Now, there were several men who looked in their late teens at either end cheering on loudly in slurred chants as two of them appeared to be racing at drinking masses of filled red cups before them. Unimpressed, Beca realised she was officially in a stereotypical American-style 'high school/college' party and found herself grabbing a small bottle of vodka to put in her generous jeans pocket before heading back into the hallway.

As she left made her way past fellow students and young adults, Beca caught a glance of herself in the wide hallway mirror. Where her jawline moulded into her cheek, a rosy red imprint of lips glistened in the reflection. Huffing with frustration over how stupid she looked with Stacie's lipstick plastered on her face, the small brunette decided it best to head to the bathroom.

The hallway upstairs was slightly less crowded and Beca found no queue by the bathroom door. Relieved that there'd be a lack of quizzical looks given to her after being cleansed, Beca twisted the door handle and strolled in.

With her head bent down and long dark brown hair falling in waves around her round head, the girl in a spotty dress and black leggings snivelled as she perched on the edge of the long bath tub. Seeing the upset figure, Beca inwardly cursed herself for not knocking and said, "Err..sorry, I'll go.." She was just turning to leave when the girl looked up and Beca's dark blue orbs focused on then youthful girl's tear-stained face. Emily hurried to wipe the fresh water marks away from her rosy cheeks while replying croakily between sniffs, "No, you don..don't have to go, Beca. Un..unless you wa..want to."

Panicked at the uncomfortable situation, Beca slowly closed the door to behind her and joined her friend perching on the cold edge of the bath. Carefully, the edgy girl tried to muster a soothing tone and reply, "Of course I'll stay, Em. What happened?" She kicked herself mentally for being so blunt and the younger brunette began to shake a little, so Beca forced herself to put her arm around Emily's shoulders - hoping this offered support.

Still tremoring a bit, Emily spoke through her voice after clearly the hoarseness from crying, "I was with Benji on the sofa and we were just talking. About normal stuff like magic and the new star wars film coming out when.." She trailed off as Beca contemplated whether magic was a normal topic for between teenagers..

"He," Emily managed to continue and snapped Beca back into the present with her voice becoming more confident, "I think he had a bit much to drink because he said he had a new trick for me and asked if I wanted to see it. I of course agreed and he told me to close my eyes and concentrate. I was about to when I saw him lean towards me..he tried to kiss me, Beca."

"Did you not want him to?" Beca asked, surprised her dramatic young friend wasn't up for what everyone else expected her to be.

"Eww!" Emily squealed and scrunched her brow, "That's like kissing a sibling..gross. No way!"

"So..what happened next..?" The older brunette understood her friend could be a little dramatic sometimes, but something must have genuinely upset her to force her to run away to hide and release tears.

"It's just..I tried to push him away but he just used his strength to move closer, and I was stuck on the sofa edge," Emily's voice got quieter and Beca strained her ears over the distant music to hear, "He..he grabbed my hands and held them tight so I couldn't push him away anymore. He kissed me and his grip loosened so I managed to push him away enough to squeeze off and get up.."

Emily burst into tears and before Beca realised the girl was squeezing herself around Beca's side like a koala clinging to a tree. Uncomfortable, Beca used the arm that had been on Emily's shoulders to rub/pat her back awkwardly. She admitted it was pretty shitty and definitely out of order what Benji had done, but this wasn't the time for dealing with him; Emily needed to ha her mood improved to its typical overly cheerful self.

The girl began to sniff and shake, pushing into Beca's body more. The older brunette's boots began to swing from the tiled floor with the shifting unbalance of weight and before they knew it, the two girls had tumbled back into the bath tub. They squirmed and managed to untangle their limbs a little to get to the point where Emily was lying on top with her arms trapped behind Beca, their faces level. Beca took her available hand and brushed the most recent tears from Emily's smooth skin as the younger girl kept eye contact with her. She parted her lips slightly, as if wanting to utter thanks to her friend for the support, but no noise came from her mouth. Instead, Emily found her eyes travelling from Beca's stare to her contours to her full lips which were parted and glossy. Breathing heavily, both girls feel their hearts race as Emily slowly leaned forward to close the distance between both girls. Their lips tingled and their bodies were squashed into each other so tightly they could have been joined into one. Time felt like it slowed and the background noises became quieter as their heartbeats grew louder.

Electronic sounds poured into the room loudly as the door swung open and a figure stumbled in. The newcomer, dressed in dark blue jeans and a baggy long-sleeved top with a wide neck to highlight her prominent collarbone and angular jaw turned and spotted the two figures fumbling in the tub.

"Teenagers," the ginger's voice jokingly chimed in fake mockery, "just letting their hormones surge wherever is possible nowadays, eh?"

The two girls twisted as Beca struggled to get past Emily and gain sight of the being belonging to the recognisable voice. She managed to shift enough around to make eye contact with the stunning girl. Her tall stature stood, looking down on them. However, as their eyes met and the scene of the lipstick-marked and flustered Beca was taken in, Chloe's blue orbs dimmed a little. The amused crinkles surrounding her eyes and wide smile immediately vanished. With an ever-so-slight frown, the ginger quickly uttered, "I should..leave you to it," and exited the room.

As quickly as she could, Beca pulled herself up and, after giving some quick summarised advice to Emily explaining how she didn't mean to be rude, but there was somewhere she needed to be, the older girl splashed her hand with some water to scrub off the stupid lipstick mark and rushed out of the room. Distraught at the repetitive image of the ginger's face falling when seeing Beca, the brunette glanced around desperately but there were no fiery ginger locks to be seen. Hurling herself down the stairs past people, Beca started the hunt.

While going from room to room to find this someone, the confused teenager tried to think why Chloe would look so disappointed at the sight of Beca. Had she annoyed her by not messaging/meeting her for ages? Maybe she didn't like Beca's flakiness and hadn't wanted Stacie to invite her? The girl's mind buzzed with worries as she walked into the loudest room: the front living room. The speaker system blared out some music the aspiring DJ recognised as Avicii. The various armchairs and sofas around the room were filled with couples getting close to one another and openly exploring their partner's tongues. In the middle of the room, a few people danced. One couple dancing enthusiastically to the beat, though slightly off due to alcohol affecting them, was Stacie and a guy who Beca guessed to be in his early 20's. She had her arms above her head and hands grasping the short spikes of the man behind her. Their hips moved together, grinding up close for a few seconds before Stacie moved her hips forward to tease her companion and her snuck up close behind to resume contact.

Beca cringed at this sight, but deep down had an amount of admiration for Stacie's skill at manipulating this chimp with male testosterone flowing through him. She eventually dragged her eyes from the intriguing sight to scan the other people. Most of the other couples were relatively private, keeping their hands to themselves and simply connecting at the lips, apart from one. A girl on an armchair in the corner opposite Beca was straddling a guy, moving rhythmically to the music with her hips. The guy's large hands had snuck around the girl's waist and into her blue jeans where they slacked at the back. She didn't seem to mind as she was grinding up against him with her spine curved, her head hidden from the onlooking brunette as she kissed her companion. Suddenly, the girl straightened her spine and her black top fell over her previously partially uncovered back. However, Beca wasn't seeing this. Her wide eyes were staring at the curly ginger hair flowing onto and over the shoulder of the girl.

Mesmerized by her discovery, Beca stood motionless as the two stood and, grasping her hand, the guy began to lead Chloe out the heated room. This wasn't before Stacie could notice and shout, "You can use my room, Chlo," and Chloe could smile in response. The two of them left through the other entrance to where the brunette hovered and made their way up the stairs.

Beca suddenly became aware of a heavy scrunching an uncomfortable twisting in the pit of her stomach. It pulled ferociously at her insides and she winced. Everyone around her was focused on their own newfound partner, so Beca took this weird and seemingly random feeling of nausea as a sign for her to leave. Unscrewing the vodka lid, Beca strode out of the house and welcomed the frosty slap from the wind. She took a swig of the potent liquid and the fire burned her throat - combining with the cold air as a whirlwind of contradictory sensation.

Checking her phone, Beca realised it was only 10.45, and she had a good few hours until she needed to be getting back home. She didn't want to go too early as Beca's Dad and Sheila would still be up and have the energy to quiz her. Despite hating the inquisition normally, Beca felt weird and knew she'd definitely give bad answers and have an argument in this state. Therefore, she chose to go on a stroll down memory lane..and get drunk while doing so.

Swigging as she strolled, the brunette got into the habit of exploring the town she'd spent countless years in by turning a right at every opportunity, taking an extra long gulp of the poison whenever this occurred. The game didn't last long, and Beca felt too bitter to care so she decided to throw the empty bottle away. Even though she was drunk, Beca had been clever with this game because she'd just need to take all lefts to get back..she hadn't realised how she may forget her left from right however.

Spinning around at a complete loss, the small girl began to panic. She reached for her phone but found nothing there - it must have fallen out one of the many times she tripped/stumbled/sat on the curb to groan about how annoying she must be to have driven away Chloe, one of the most patient people alive that Beca knew.

The brunette's legs began to move shakily and at as rapid a pace  
she could down the dark road. Shaking, she tried to pick up the pace into a run but her legs began to jolt and randomly one leg seemed to stop as the other stretched in a weird direction. With a cry of utter pain, Beca fell to the concrete below. Her body was sprawled like a dead spider and her throat began to make blubbery cries. The wails grew in dynamics and pitch, especially when the teenager tried to move her left.

Footsteps and distant calls flew through the air the brunette felt herself slipping off into a drunken daze. A cold hand tapped her cheek and words were spoken but it all seemed distant to the drifting girl. Sharp piercing pain shot through her body and she screamed (even shocking her partially unconscious self) as arms collectively lifted her, making contact with the stinging limb. The steady bouncing from the person's walk made Beca feel reminded of her time as a young child, and with the silhouette of a smile she fell fully asleep.

 **2** **Hours** **Later**

Machines beeping and people muttering in the background combined with the bright white light blinded Beca as she arose from her comatose state. Wincing at her immense head ache, and the memories from being at Stacie's to passing out in someone's arms, the brunette rubbed her eyes sleepily and opened them fully. Beside her bed sat a boy with tanned skin and short dark hair, his head in his hands. At the sound of Beca's groans he looked up and the met eyes.

"Shit Beca, how are you feeling?" Jesse nervously inquired.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Beca replied as she shifted herself into a sitting position and winced at the pain in her leg. Jesse raised an eyebrow and smirked at his friend's stubborn attitude. Beca's mind realised something, "So..did you carry me here?"

Jesse perked up at the conversation (and ability to sound the hero). Just like a child would, he sat up and puffed out his chest before smugly replying, "Yep! I saw you walk out the party and decided to see where you were off to without your bike. I didn't realise you were drinking or drunk until it was too late - you had been walking just fine. Then you started to..run but it was more of a hurried hobble," he chuckled briefly before a concerned face appeared, "you fell though. I was pretty far behind because I figured you wanted space, the only reason I followed at all was because of you being a girl walking in the night and there are always creeps around that need me to kick their ass! Anyway, I had stopped to just text Emily to say you were fine because she said you'd left her in a hurry a while ago and hadn't seen her since, when I heard this yell. I ran as quickly as I could and found you lying, screaming. Your leg was lying among this pile of shattered glass. Did you drop your bottle of alcohol or something?"

Groaning, Beca replied, "I..threw it when it was empty."

"Well that explains why that was there. But basically I'm your hero and you owe me at least some chocolate!" He grinned excitedly and Beca rolled her eyes, though she even managed a smile.

"So, my hero, what's the Doctor's verdict?"

"Well he said that the reason you fell was probably because you slightly pulled a muscle, from running badly, but that should heal soon. What made it worse was then landing on a pike of glass and the shards cutting your bad leg. That'll take an unknown amount of time to heal, though the Doctor doesn't think they're infected so that's good at least." Jesse smiled warmly and the brunette on the clean bed nodded as she slowly processed the good news.

"That's not bad. No negatives and so long as my Dad doesn't-"

"BECA!" a familiar voice boomed and Beca groaned as her Dad walked up the ward and growled responses to obstructing medical staff.

Jesse apologetically glanced at Beca and whispered, "I had no choice, they were doing x-rays..it seemed pretty serious-"

"That doesn't mean you call my Dad," Beca shot back ferociously, "show did you even contact him?"

"You dropped this," he placed the smashed phone on Beca's bedside table next to a glass of water, "he called you to check how things were and I didn't want him to panic by you not answering."

"So you thought telling him I'm in hospital is better?!" the infuriated brunette hissed, "You don't have to look out for me, you're not my boyfriend!"

"Well obviously not, Beca," Jesse curtly replied in a quirt tone before standing and walking out of the ward.

Beca managed to have 10 seconds peace to collect her thoughts before her Dad started Hus aggressive tone towards his daughter, "HOW STUPID CAN YOU GET?! I CALL YOU AT 11.45 TO JUST SAY WE'RE HEADING TO BED SO DON'T FORGET TO LOCK UP AND YOUKNOW WHAT HAPPENS? A BOY ANSWERS TELLING ME AT THE HOSPITAL AND GOING TO BE HAVING SCANS TO CHECK WHETHER YOU'VE BROKEN YOUR LEG! WHAT'S MORE," he spat at the wincing girl, "YOU WERE DRUNK! COMPLETELY FUCKING PLASTERED. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?! HMM?"

Beca quietly muttered in response, "I..I wasn't thinking."

"TOO DAMN RIGHT YOU WEREN'T THINKING! YOU DON'T REALISE HOW BLOODY LUCKY YOU ARE YOU DIDN'T BREAK SOMETHING, OR A CAR DIDN'T SPEED ALONG, OR THE POLICE FOR THAT MATTER! STUPID, STUPID GIRL..IF THIS IS SOME KIND OF BULLSHIT WAY OF TRYING TO BE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE IN THE HOPE YOUR MUM WILL COME RUSHING BACK, THINK AGAIN. IF SHE WANTED TO PUT UP WITH THIS NONSENSE SHE WOULD BE HERE! INSTEAD, I'M HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE GIRL YOU'VE BECOME.." Beca's Dad sighed dejectedly before continuing more calmly - with a defeated tone, "what happened to the nice little daughter I knew a couple of years ago - what's changed recently?"

Beca cleared her throat with all the confidence she could muster, "Well, Dad, she just..grew up I guess. She realised the world isn't a picnic and doesn't really care about you so long as you do what it wants from you."

Dr Mitchell sighed, feeling hopeless over Hus daughter's predicament in life, "Well, I personally want my committed and loving child back, so (for that reason and as punishment for this occurrence so it won't be happening again), I'm no longer promising you the opportunity of dropping your A-Level studies after one year for an apprenticeship. Instead, you MUST commit to school and, if you're lucky I'll let you try out at an internship over the summer. But at the moment even that's COMPLETELY out of the question. You need to show me you're mature enough to be making these decisions with your life, understand?"

Beca found this lecture stupid..especially how her Dad always starts off angry and then pretends to be all reasonable at the end, when in fact he just imposes his view more. Not-to-mention his contradictions such as asking his daughter to be a "loving child" one minute, and then telling her she needs to prove herself as an adult and "mature". Nevertheless, Beca needed to play along with her Dad's so-called reasonable angle and replied monotonously, " Yes Dad, I understand. I was being stupid and I accept that. Also I understand why you need to have me redeem myself in order to regain your trust. I'm truly sorry." Once she'd finished her robotic reply, the medical staff came over and said Beca could go home.

Hence, in the incredibly early hours of New Year's Day, Beca and Dr Mitchell drove home, the atmosphere thickly building tension from the consistent silence.

"Err..Happy New Year, Dad."

Beca nervously anticipated her Father's reaction to the comment which had shattered the atmosphere like the fireworks shooting into the sky. He kept his eyes of the Rostand stayed silent, his brow furrowed a little and mouth set into grim line. Finally, he sighed with exhaustion (both physical and mental).

"Yes, you too, Beca."


	9. Frosty The Ice Cold Witch

**A/N Hey you lot, I am SOO sorry about such a delayed update :/ I hope you enjoy this one too, and I've already started the next chapter so it should be out asap. Enjoy! x**

 **Monday 5th January (First Day Back After Xmas Hols)**

Driving smoothly along with the tires hugging the road, Dr Mitchell slowed and pulled in at the school's entrance. In the front passenger seat beside him sat his daughter, silent and seething.

"Look, Beca, I've got to teach you a lesson not to abuse my trust again. I know, it's not ideal," Beca scoffed at this moodily, "But we -Sheila & I - can't let you drive your bike if you're in a destructive phase of your life. It's just too dangerous. Once you get your grades up, it'll be clear you're fine. We're sorry, Be-"

"No you're not," Beca spat angrily over her shoulder to her Dad as she clambered out of the vehicle and slammed the door shut before striding off. Sighing, and partially blaming what his previous marriage's termination has done to his daughter, Dr Mitchell pulled out from the curb and drove off, allowing all original hope for Beca to float into the atmosphere with the petrol fumes exuding from the engine.

Because her Dad had to drop her before he then drove across town to work for 9am, Beca was annoyingly early for school. The zombie-esque teenager dragged her scuffed army-style boots along the ground as she trudged slowly to her tutor room. The French department building loomed ahead and the brunette in typical black skinnies and a charcoal grey long-sleeved top huffed before entering - her primary thought being the fact she'd have to spend longer with her more-ape-than-human tutor group everyday. The corridor was silent with the exception of drifting conversation from her classmates in their tutor room. As she entered, Beca bowed her head down and swiftly walked the border of the room in order to avoid human interaction. Once at her empty desk in the back right-hand corner of the class, the girl slumped dejectedly down and allowed her sleeplessness wash over. Exhausted, the brunette yawned as she pulled a Dickens novel from her school bag carelessly tossed it onto the desk. After that, she saw she had a good 10 minutes before the witch could arrive and start barking stern orders with her shrill voice. Beca winced at the mere recollection of her tutor's tone. The pessimistic adolescent chose to distract herself by closing her eyes and resting upon her folded arms: lying across the smooth desk surface. Slowly, her senses began to subside (with the minor exception of her ears awaiting Ms Radcliffe's clip-clopping heels in the corridor). Her eyelids felt heavy and drooped shut properly. Her limbs relaxed and their weight sank into the desk and chair. Her breathing slowed and became deeper. All she was aware of was the muttering of students on the other side of the class, and infrequent chirping bird flying by the building outside.

Within a few minutes however, the partially comatose brunette's ears heard the crystal clear sound of heels on the corridor floor. They echoed and resonated confidence with every step - or fake confidence and fake kindness in Ms Radcliffe's case - Beca thought morosely to herself. In a hurry, the teenager lifted herself from the desk and adjusted her previously-slouching position on her chair as she grabbed the Dickens novel and opened it at a random page about a third into the book. She placed it on the desk before her and moved her eyes while frowning in order to give the impression to her horridly biased tutor that she'd been doing something intellectual in her spare time. Ms Radcliffe was traditional in her ways, much like Beca's majority of relatives, and also thrived in favouritism among the students, also much like Beca's majority of relatives.

The click-clacking came to a halt as the hard floor of the corridor transitioned into the cheap classroom carpet. However, a minute passed of Beca looking keen about her novel and Ms Radcliffe still hadn't started to bark orders and pass snide comments to her, so the brunette timidly chose to steal a glance to the front of the class. The biggest fear at this moment would be if the introverted teenager made eye contact with the gargoyle disguising themselves as a shrill teacher.

When her eyes met the front of the room, Beca's jaw dropped open and her eyes swooped over the sight, taking its breath-taking appearance in. The brunette's eyes widened as she observed the nervous girl shift her weight from one heeled, navy suede ankle-boot to the other and bite her bottom lip anxiously - though with an undeniable innocent-yet-sexy twist. The figure's long, toned legs were uncovered from above her boots to her mid-thigh, where the dark blue crosshatched dress ended. It started, however, with a tight torso fit complimenting the girl's curves, and then a slight A-shaped skirt to accentuate her thigh gap and slender legs. Despite this beyond-beautiful sight, it wasn't what shocked Beca the most..

She recognised the long, wavy locks of ginger - with the overhead light's ray's bouncing off of and radiating the hair. She also recognised the light blue eyes, even though they were darting uncomfortably around the whole classroom and then back to her feet in order to avoid any eye contact. It was her. It was Chloe.

What was she doing stood in Beca's tutor, the brunette wondered. No, scratch that, what was she doing in Barden Secondary School when she should be at her school: Walton Girl's School?

A few seconds later a louder, more clumpy, pair of heels sounded in the corridor and the dragon herself entered. Ms Radcliffe brushed past Chloe silently, went to her desk and dropped her documents, letters, etc from her pigeon hole onto her desk. Then, she plastered on a fake smile to suit her superficial shrill tone as she turned to address the ginger.

"Hello, you must be Chloe Beagle, right?" the teacher beamed while she maintained her stiff, sincere posture.

"Actually," Chloe warmly interjected (disregarding the other woman's narrowing eyes) as she proceeded to speak in an innocent girly tone, "It's Beale. Don't worry I'll let that one pass - this time!"

Beca inwardly groaned as she eavesdropped on the conversation and Chloe made a joke which Ms Radcliffe stiffly laughed off (with force) as she proceeded to narrow her eyes speculatively at the girl. Like all non-comedic villains in the cliché films, Ms Radcliffe had no sense of humour other than when she was making fun of students she didn't like (such as Beca..and probably Chloe after that).

Ms Radcliffe straightened her posture in an attempt to insert authority over the taller girl before her, and failed. Still smiling sweetly, the ginger spoke, "So, where shall I be seated, Ms?"

"You shall be seated," the witch spat - obviously feeling threatened by the new girl's impenetrable positive attitude and further responding with fury, "In the corner over there. If that suits your standards?" The woman's eyes narrowed, daring Chloe to retaliate, but the teenager simply bobbed her head enthusiastically in pleased response.

Beca hadn't seen this exchange as, when Chloe asked where she'd be sitting, the brunette knew the only spare seat was next to her and thought it best not to be caught eavesdropping. Furthermore, she averted her eyes to novel before her and returned to squint at the blotchy black letters lined like an army on the page.

However, no more than 20 seconds later, a polite little cough and the question, "Mind if I perch upon this seat beside you," interrupted her concentration.

Immediately, Beca's eyes shot up to the tall girl looking down at her (not before taking a slightly longer gaze at the ginger's chest from her lower angle). Her mouth ajar, the brunette sleepily responded, "Err.." before managing to gain consciousness fully and shrug, "If you must..perch." She smirked at Chloe as the slender girl slid onto the empty plastic chair.

"So," Chloe had a teasing grin playing at the edges of her mouth, making Beca uneasy as their eyes met, "Do you always perv at people when they're stood at the front of the room?" Taken aback by the upfront question (and realisation that she'd been caught..admiring Chloe upon her entrance) the brunette began to redden as she stammered. Despite her efforts, Beca's throat refused to utter a response more than croaks.

"Holy shit, Becs! I was joking..guess someone just fessed up to a crime they weren't even suspected for committing," Chloe grinned and winked at her friend, causing the blush to deepen (though, luckily for the mortified Beca, the ginger didn't notice this).

In that instant, Beca wanted nothing more than to wind back time and prod herself into giving a smart response. Why did she have to be a gormless fool and lose her snarky confidence around Chloe? What did the ginger have over her (other than height)?! Before Beca was able to embarrass herself anymore in the view of Chloe's electrifying orbs, a sharp tone shot through the room; calling everyone to attention.

"Morning everyone," Ms Radcliffe began, "I would ask what everyone got up to in their holidays, but of course you were all studying!" A ripple of groans and low mutters broke out among the students before the teacher's glare scared the voices to silence, "So, before the register, I have a few announcements. Firstly, the room changes for this week are on the door - have a look on the way out..please. Next, I think a few of you may have been blinded from the brightness into noticing (and I don't mean intelligence necessarily)," the cruel woman chuckled briefly at her own jibe, "But we have a new student with us. Chloe Beale has transferred here from Walton. I guess a kind welcome is in order, but to honest I think a bulldozer could hit her and she'd still be smiling," another throaty laugh, "Now, the register.."

Beca chose to pre-occupy herself throughout the droning of her tutor's voice calling her classmates names and checking they were present. Swiping the novel from the desk's surface, the brunette leaned from her chair to put her book into her bag. Until the table however, Beca noticed the angle of Chloe's legs were angled towards her. They were temptingly planted slightly apart, nothing but a shadow from the long legs covering what lay beneath the dress. Subconsciously, the teenager licked her dry lips and felt an inner squirming as she re-fastened her bag and rose to her original seated position. A second later, a breath quietly tickled at the hairs of her neck as the ginger whispered, "You alright, Becs? You're quite pale..did you see a ghost down there?" Nervous and confused, Beca quickly answered, "Down where?" Chuckling at the flustered brunette, Chloe proceeded her teasing, "Well, that would depend." Beca's eyes darted to the glinting jewels beside her, "Err..on..on what, Chloe?"

"Hmm.." Beca's heart thumped faster at the silky humming from the ginger's pursed lips, "On whether you were just putting your book into your bag under the desk."

Gulping, the anxious brunette whispered, "Or..?"

Giggling quietly, the fiery and confident girl sighed patiently, "Or, on whether you decided to take a look at my revealed..area as well." Aghast at her friend's mind-reading powers, Beca gaped uncontrollably. Ms Radcliffe's drone came back into focus as she called, "Beca?"

With a subtle elbow in the ribs from Chloe, the brunette woke from her daze and replied sharply, "Yes, Madam."

The tutor proceeded and the two girls at the back ceased to speak, "And..finally our newcomer, Miss Beale?"

"Yes..Madam," Chloe answered curtly, hurrying to add the correct term for addressing the so-called authoritative figure.

Piercing the atmosphere before it could grow in tension, the school bell rang with furious anticipation. Chairs clattered against one another and the desks as the students rose and shoved the furniture carelessly into a mishap attempt at the original formation. As the teenagers traipsed sleepily and noisily out of the room, Ms Radcliffe scanned them like a hawk before her speech cut through the fellow voices to say, "Chloe, Beca, please stay behind."

Groaning internally at the dreaded speech to follow, Beca turned and followed the enthusiastic ginger to the front of the class. With a forced smile plastered on her weary face, the short woman's shrill sound started, "Chloe has of course not been at our school before, Beca, and will need someone to help show her the ropes," she addressed the brunette before her smile became genuine (and cruel) as she rested her gaze on the ginger, "Beca's often staring from the sidelines, I'm sure she can give you a most..interesting perspective on the school."

"Oh I agree," Chloe chimed in - causing the tutor's eyes to narrow suspiciously, "She'll be able to tell me which of you teachers keep the cane for lending to the others." Beca snorted, but immediately moved her view to her feet when Ms Radcliffe shot her a steely glare. With tightly pursed lips, the grim woman replied, "Yes..well it's probably best you get to your first lesson on time." She then turned on her clunky heel and strode purposefully out of the building. Probably to go and bitch about Chloe to the other teachers, Beca thought.

Shifting her glance to the ginger with raised eyebrows and a cheeky smirk, Beca chuckled before leading Chloe to her first lesson. They strolled across the fading grey paving slabs stained with trampled chewing gum to a neighbouring building. It was redbrick with a single door on the side facing them. The brunette opened the door and, with a posh hand gesture and slight bow, ushered her giggling friend inside.

"What a gentleman!" Chloe faked swooning with an upturned hand on her forehead and Beca followed her inside, smirking.

"So..I have physics, which is just a few doors down this corridor," the brunette casually pointed up the wide, bustling building's hallway and the ginger followed her extended finger, "Are you doing a science?"

Jerking back to reality, Chloe met the shorter girl's soft gaze and replied simply, "Err..yeah. I have biology with a..Mr Burte?"

With a sharp intake of fume-filled air, the brunette replied while shaking her head slowly, "Unlucky! He's a good teacher, but definitely one to humiliate his students and aim to make them run from the room crying. Seeing as you're joining late as well, he's gonna give you a harder time. You're in there," she pointed to the classroom next to them, "You sure you can handle him?"

Grinning, Chloe nonchalantly called as she turned to enter the class, "I think I can handle the big bad wolf. I ain't a squealin' piglet!" The ginger winked, causing the brunette to lose the words gathered in her head and instead have a rush of crimson leave through to her cheeks once again. Just before Chloe went into the classroom, Beca managed to reply, "I'll see you here after class..if you haven't run home crying." Then, she turned and marched to her own dull lesson.

 **One Hour Later**

Once the bell had signalled for the first lesson of the day to come to an end, the crowds of animalistic students with their howls and calls to one another poured into the corridor of the science block. Battling her way through the masses of bodies blockading her way, the small brunette aggressively barged to get to the doorway of Chloe's classroom. There she waited.

Finally, the door opened and students streamed out. The ginger left last and, when seeing her friend, pretended to wipe non-existent tears from her face. Laughing carelessly, Beca bravely led the ginger through the strong waves of students, protecting the taller girl's lean frame. Once they reached the far end of the science block, the girls entered a wide foyer between that block and what appeared to be labelled maths.

Speaking a little louder in order to be heard over the surrounding chatter, Beca raised her voice, "What have you got next? I'll walk you there." Grinning with mischief glinting in her sparkly blue eyes, Chloe decided to (instead of shouting) take a step closer to the brunette. Taken aback, the shorter girl's boots shuffled a little and she began to lose her balance, leaning unnaturally into a backwards fall. Before her feet could leave the floor and her back reach it however, long arms gripped her thin waist and lifted her upright. Her arms still gripping Beca to her body protectively, Chloe whispered into the baffled teenager's face which was simply inches away, "I have the learning of how to control the mind! I mean err..psychology." The ginger hadn't anticipated getting distracted by the alarmed darker orbs staring into her so intently and at such a close proximity. She frowned at herself and cursed internally as the brunette led the way out of the foyer and up to tall building next to the sport AstroTurf and playing field. Before entering the building, the ginger turned and said to the smaller girl, "Would you mind..showing me round the school more after this lesson? It's break time next, right? I mean, if you have friends you want to meet then-"

"No!" Beca found herself sharply interrupting, perhaps a little too eager for her liking, but it brought a wide smile to Chloe's nervous face, "I'll see you here and then take you on a grand tour! I do have friends, just to clarify, but I should probably save you from all the wicked beasts around."

"Spoken like a true hero!" Chloe feigned flattery with a grand gesture of thanks, though her grin remained as she headed to her class. Shaking her head and chuckling and the other girl's hilarity yet insanity, the brunette started to trek across the school to her next lesson of staring through the window for an hour in Russian.

 **1 Hour Later (A Few Minutes Into Break Time)**

Beca strolled through the school, chatting casually with Chloe and infrequently naming the department of buildings they passed. They managed to go around most of the school before a heavy downpour hit. Instinctively, the ginger darted into a tight space of coverage from the powerful bullets of water shooting down onto the squealing and sprinting students below. The crevice Chloe had wedged herself into was a gap between two buildings, with the roofing of them joined - sheltering the girl below. Hurriedly, her long spindly fingers reached out and grasp the wrist of the brunette set on walking towards the building ahead.

With a simple flick of her wrist, the ginger twisted Beca around and pulled the smaller friend's body into the crevice in front of her. Being as clumsy as she is, the brunette tripped on her boots and consequently fell onto the taller girl before her.

Chloe's sweet perfume radiated from her exposed collar bone and throat, filling Beca's nostrils with the scent. Their bodies pressed tightly against one another, and the brunette's glazy eyes looked up to meet the wondrous stare of the inquisitive ginger. Her light blue orbs sparkled and she bit her glossy bottom lip as thoughts flew through her mind.

Loosening her fingers' grip on the other girl's wrist, Chloe loosely slid both of her hands down to grasp either side of Beca's small, skinny waist. They resumed the position from Beca's fall in the foyer earlier that day; however their bodies remained resting against each other. Chloe parted her lips and a ragged breath escaped at the endearing sight of the brunette's tongue being trapped poking slightly from between her teeth. Both girls broke their gaze to drift their view down to the friend's parted lips. Licking her own lips, as Beca watched intently, Chloe tilted her head slightly and began to lean in, her eyes closing. Confused and stuck in a trance, Beca found herself frozen.

Suddenly, a bell sounded from a few metres away: signalling the cue for students to head to their 3rd lesson. Clearing her throat, embarrassed and blinking as if to wake from a deep sleep, Chloe nervously croaked, "Umm..I have music. D'you wanna risk running for it through this rain?"

Nodding in response (as she didn't trust herself to find words), the brunette turned from the ginger's grip and led the way to music.

 **A Few Minutes Later**

Having found their voices once more, the two girls giggled as they strode into the classroom littered with instruments. Around the room, several doors with thick glass windows led to various small practice rooms for small group/solo rehearsals. At the front of the room, a woman with frizzy light brown hair, thick rounded glasses and baggy bright clothing swayed to the sound of quiet music in the background. Her faraway expression remained as she addressed the filling class with her soothing, distant voice. Beca chuckled at the scene and Chloe admitted the stereotypical floaty teacher of the arts was relatively amusing.

"Today, everyone," the voice caused the 10 or so students sat around to look over and cease their talking, "We are going to keep at our coursework. This lesson will still be focused on the compositional side, with you all proceeding to produce your pieces based loosely upon Bach's work. We have a couple more weeks to do this before moving onto the written essay on how you created your composition with the criteria." With the clap of her heavily-jewelled hands, the pupils stood and the majority filed into various practice rooms.

The only people remaining in the classroom itself were Chloe, Beca (who'd adopted a seat at a side computer with an attached keyboard and small synth) and a tanned boy. He smiled as he caught Beca's eye and started making guitar noises and pretend gestures to the song the ginger recognised to be 'Carry On My Wayward Son'. Rolling her eyes, the brunette put her smart beats headphones on and started focusing on the screen in front.

Taking the opportunity of silence, Chloe crept up to the front of the class and addressed the teacher, "Madam, I'm afraid I already have completed the composition of my piece. Is there anything I can do that won't keep me ahead of everyone else hours-wise?"

Smiling, the woman replied jovially, "Well, firstly it's Josie with me - no Madam! And then secondly, I guess you could spend the next few lessons on planning for your essay? Finalising what you'll write. If that works?"

Eagerly, the ginger beamed and nodded at the chance to basically do a lack of work for the following few lessons. Instead, she could just think, or do the extra work her biology teacher had given her. However, despite Chloe jotting down the title for her science homework, her pen didn't leave another mark on the page for the remainder lf that lesson. Instead, the girl's attention was solely focused on the brunette working intently on her music. Chloe had never seen someone (other than herself) so enthusiastic about their music coursework. A frown was etched into the teenager's forehead as she furiously clicked on recorded tracks on her computer software before editing them and then recording another on her keyboard. Whenever she seemed displeased with her work, the observer noticed, Beca would pout a little and perhaps even clench her fist until the knuckle shone white. After a few huffs, the brunette would then shake her head to clear it and replay a track, tapping her skinny yet clearly muscular leg to its beat as her index and forefingers danced along the table surface.

Chloe couldn't help biting her lip and grinning at the sight, unable to tear her eyes from Beca and her adorable actions of frustration and satisfaction. Those rosy cheeks heating up with frustration, and wide eyes narrowing with speculation..why was she so cute?! Wait, Chloe thought aghast, what were her thoughts doing? She quickly stopped herself in her tracks and managed to clear her mins just as the bell rang. Her next lesson was a free, however she'd promised her psychology teacher she'd go and discuss the syllabus differences to Walton's during the next hour. Beca was aware of this, so didn't hurry to pack up for escorting Chloe as the ginger knew the way to that building.

Instead, Beca took her time unplugging the equipment and carefully placing her headphones in her bag before turning to join the tanned boy stood in the doorway. Jesse waited patiently for his short friend, and as soon as she was ready they headed towards the library for their agreed catch-up session on whatever homework they had. Though they didn't do many subjects together, the two had learned that it was useful to try and explain their answers to the other - if they could teach it a friend whom hadn't been taught it, then it showed they understood it. If not, they knew they needed to do some more work on it.

As they walked, Jesse (being the puppy-like creature he was) decided to emphasise his smugness with a bounce in his step as well as a wide grin stretched across his face. He knew better than to wait for his eye-rolling companion to start the conversation, so instead he jumped right into the overexcited interrogation.

"Sooo..who's that ginga ninja?" He coaxed, buzzing with the potential of uncovering more of his introverted friend.

Trying and failing to act casually, Beca shrugged with a forced air of nonchalance as she replied, "Oh, just a new girl who moved from Walton. Radcliffe decided to inflict the torture of showing her around on me."

"Uh huh," the boy smirked, "Torture, eh? I saw how hard you were working in that lesson, trying to impress her!"

"What?!" the flustered girl answered, stammering slightly as a blush clouded her typically pale complexion, "I was..just trying to stay up to date with my coursework! That's all Jesse."

"So, if you weren't in actual fact trying to give the new gal a good impression," Beca nodded in agreement at this asher friend continued, "And, therefore, in actual fact you don't like her as more than a friend.."

He spoke thoughtfully, calculative in his tone, which put his recipient on edge, "Yes..? Go on Jesse."

"Well," he started with his own superficial casual tone, "I guess you won't care whether she was staring at you with a look of complete adoration or not throughout that whole lesson, right?"

Sighing, with the frustration of being stuck, Beca simply replied as they entered the library, "Not at all. Now, I need to do some physics. You?"

They sat at their usual round table in the far corner of the room. This area was surrounded by thick bookshelves and relatively soundproof so that they could concentrate on their work without disturbances, or (as the following hour looked to be going) be able to talk without having nosy fellow students or the librarians eavesdrop.

"I need to actually do a bit of music," Jesse admitted and Beca's eyes glinted as she seized t opportunity.

"See! If you'd maybe been doing your work last lesson rather than stared at Chloe and I, maybe you wouldn't be wasting your free period doing it now!"

Sighing in clear defeat to the feisty smaller girl, the tanned boy nodded as he pulled out his books and pencil case. Beca did the same for her physics and proceeded to copy answers from the textbook onto her homework past paper booklet.

Silence ensued for the following 15 minutes until a clearing voice and the dreaded conversation came barging back into the atmosphere, "You know, Beca, I'm pretty good at understanding you. I knew about your sexuality before you told us three, I knew about your family problems that one time, and I also know about how (when scared or you feel people are getting too close to knowing you) you clam up and hide yourself. You push away everyone who cares, and I just want you to know that I don't think you need to do that with me. I know you, Beca. And I know you like this girl..the question is do you know that or are you gonna miss that opportunity?"

Speechless, Beca simply gaped at her concerned friend across the table piled with books. After what felt like years to her, the brunette regained the ability to speak.

"I..I'm sorry. I didn't realise quite how much you've been looking out for me..thanks Jesse," she smiles warmly at the sweet boy before proceeding, "It doesn't mean I like her, but it's bugging me to know about whether she was staring at me in music. So, was she?"

Beaming like a young child with his first sense of power, Jesse crossed his arms and - still grinning goofily as ever - replied, "Nope. You gotta admit it. C'mon, we both know you do..you couldn't stay still with her around, it was..electrifying to watch. I've never seen you having to concentrate so hard just to do a simple thing, without her clouding your thoughts!"

With much reluctance - and another few minutes silence - Beca groaned with frustration and hissed across the table, "So what if I find her funny.?"

"That's a good start. But you're forgetting how you find her kind, clever, brilliant AND seriously hot." With a nod of encouragement, the female brunette huffed before proceeded her humiliation, "FINE! She's smart, and funny, and kind, and generous, and caring, and delicate, and compassionate, and very, VERY hot! Satisfied?"

Cheekily, Beca's teasing friend replied, "Woah, woah! If she's all that then I wouldn't mind asking her on a date or two myself."

"Well," the shorter of the two responded, "She's more of a sausage 'gal' than..fish and chips - if that makes any sense?"

"Hmm, I think so..definitely get the gist of it. Though are you sure you're right about that? Ginga couldn't take her eyes off of you ALL of music. Especially your legs," Jesse grinned.

"Err..I've seen her with guys, and when I told her about me being gay she didn't say anything non-hetero about her..she..she was staring at me?"

Eager to emphasise this, Jesse nodded as he answered, "Ohh you betcha. She literally didn't write a thing that lesson, I swear. She just couldn't stop looking you up and down, and up and down, and up an-"

"I err..get the idea, thanks," Beca bashfully cut in, beginning to blush with embarrassment yet again.

Sensing her friend's clear discomfort, Jesse chose to return to his work for the remainder of their time and allowed the girl opposite him to have some time to think things through for herself.

 **35 Minutes Later (Lunch Time)**

Striding purposefully toward the canteen with books bulging from their bags, the two 6th Formers proceeded with their chatter from in the library.

"Are we meeting Em & Benji outside or in there?" Jesse asked the brunette at his side casually.

A flood of images from the party of Benji having majorly upset the younger girl poured into Beca's mind as she replied, "Probably inside..are those two okay now?"

Bemused the tanned boy replied, "Err..I think so. Why wouldn't they be? I thought it was YOU and Emily who'd had..problems to sort?"

Provoking the memory of the scene in the bathroom to reappear in the brunette's mind, she winced and replied with reluctance, "Yeah..we kinda do have some stuff to talk about. But that can wait, it's no biggie." With a shrug, Beca decided to change the topic slightly, "I can't see them, they're probably already sitting at our usual table."

Jesse nodded and was about to head through the open doorway to the canteen (with Beca following close behind) when his eye caught sight of something - or, more accurately, someone - and a smirk grew across his face, "Hey hobbit, you sure you haven't got a DATE this lunch?"

"What?" the brunette answered confused, her brow crinkled at the odd question. That's when she heard it. A chime flew through the air towards them, forming the words 'Hey Beca'. Ignoring the goofy grin on her friend's face, the brunette turned to see the slender ginger elegantly twirl through the crowds of students towards them. Jesse snickered as he watched the pleased expression cover Beca's face and she, hearing him, elbowed him in the ribs. The boy mocked pain dramatically as Chloe reached her destination.

Eyes shining as bright as her teeth poking through her wide smile, the taller girl practically sang, "Hey Becs, would you and your friends mind me joining you? Stacie's with some guy and you're kinda my only other friend.."

Teasingly, the brunette pretended to huff and contemplate the idea - to which the ginger grabbed Beca's hand with both of hers and playfully begged, "Oh pleaseeeee, Beca! You don't want me to be all lonely do you..?"

Jesse took the opportunity to join in, "Oh I'm sure Beca won't mind squeezing up a little for ya. I'm Jesse, by the way." While Chloe politely returned the greeting and mentioned that she'd seen him in music she thought, Beca shot the overconfident boy a steely glare. However, unphased by the small girl, her friend simply returned her frosty stare with a cheeky wink, as if to show he had it all under control. Beca knew better though, and felt panicked at her friend's lack of subtlety combined with the fact he knew her secret feelings for this girl. Stunning, funny girl..Beca snapped herself back to the present as the trio proceeded into the crowded food room.

Queues snaked their way past the sets of sturdy tables attached to metal chairs. The tables lay in a grid formation bolted to the ground, much like prison furniture. However, the students didn't appear too miserable; for them, the canteen was their place to unwind with friends as they ate the cheap, unhealthy yet warm food being served.

Beca led the other two through the crowds of children, using her lack of height to create an unnoticeable pathway between bodies. After weaving their way down the long queue, the three hungry students emerged at the front. Beaming with admiration for her small friend's skill, Chloe eagerly eyed up the array of so-called meals available. Beca had already asked for the tomato soup, and was paying, while Jesse chose a plate of curry. Once she'd viewed all possible options, the ginger used her innocent tone to ask for the plain chicken salad. After having paid for her bland food, the newcomer followed her two companions to a table with 4 seats in the furthest corner of the canteen. Already seated at the table (opposite one another) was a boy with short, curly hair and round hamster-like cheeks dressed in a blue-striped tee tucked into his blue Levi's. The girl he seemed to be in deep discussion with had long dark hair, a youthful face and button nose. Chloe recognised the girl from somewhere, but couldn't quite place it. Then it hit her. That was the girl Beca had been entwined with in the bathtub when she'd walked in on them at Stacie's party. Instead of immediately branding the seated brunette as some kind of intimidating sexual predator - or, even weirder and perhaps even worse for Chloe to think, Beca's 'girlfriend' - the ginger decided to gain a first impression from conversing.

Chloe didn't understand why, but the image and thought of the two other girls made her stomach squeeze and sent a nauseous surge through her body. She wasn't homophobic, was she? Chloe quickly discarded this worry by retaliating with how fine (maybe even joyful) she was at Beca coming out. As swiftly as her mind had started to drift away, the ginger conclusively decided she probably felt ill due to hunger and brought herself back to the present as Jesse took a seat by the button-nosed girl, and Beca next to the curly-haired boy. Chloe was glancing around for any spare chairs lying around (seeing none) when the tanned boy named Jesse said with a friendly tone, "Why don't you just squeeze in next to Beca? Plenty of room, I'm sure." Missing the warning glance from Beca to Jesse, Chloe obliged and slid onto the metal seat.

The ginger's bare thigh touched the rough material of the brunette's jeans, and an electric pulse buzzed through her - causing goosebumps to rise. The enthusiastic voice opposite her started up again, as Jesse made introductions, "Chloe, this here is Emily," the bubbly girl grinned and sweetly sang a hello, to which Chloe smiled a little, "And next to Beca - whom you know nearly as much as she's clearly studied you.." this caused Beca to blush and look to her lap, "is Benji." The mousy boy didn't say a greeting to Chloe, simply smiled quickly before averting his eyes to fiddle with his plastic lunch box.

"Hey, nice to meet you all. Sorry I'm intruding, don't blame Beca for my company," the ginger tried to respond confidently, as she proceeded to speculate the girl Emily.

Emily happily replied, seeming to buzz with exuding energy, "Oh no problem at all, Chloe! It's lovely to have you here!"

"Yeah," Jesse joined in (with a smug smirk playing on his lips), "You plunge right in anytime. We're all happy with you just getting stuck in - right, Beca?"

Beca appeared to physically snarl at the boy opposite, causing him to recoil slightly. She then turned to Chloe and answered, "I'm sorry Jesse's being such a twat. The other two are MUCH better. Though he is right in saying you can join us whenever." This kind gesture from the group made Chloe feel a welcoming warmth and she appreciatively thanked them as everyone ate their lunch - except Beca - and conversed.

"Becs, you alright?" Chloe whispered to the girl with concern. While the other members of the table had been eating their food and discussing which generation of Pokemon was the best the brunette had simply moved her small, plastic spoon through the thick orange-red substance. Beca had engaged in the conversation perfectly fine, in the ginger's electric blue eyes. However, she hadn't had a single drop of her cooling soup. The other girl's deeper blue gaze met Chloe's as she replied, "I'm actually pretty good, thanks. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Chloe frowned slightly, puzzled, "You haven't eaten anything..surely you're hungry after not having anything at break? I mean, did you have a huge breakfast or something?"

Jesse heard this among the Pokemon talk between the other two nerds, and stole nervous glances at Beca - aware of the true reason behind her lack of an appetite. Since he'd taken her to the hospital the night of the party, the boy and Beca's Dad had been in contact a little. Dr Mitchell wanted to know his daughter had a friend who knew and could offer support if necessary, so chose the more responsible-seeming lad that had taken her to the hospital and called him. Of course, Beca was unaware of Jesse's vague yet still substantial knowledge on the matter, so turned her sole focus on the ginger. Whispering, the brunette said, "I..umm..I'll tell you in tutor. I'm fine, seriously."

Chloe felt the panic start to build with the severity in Beca's voice and unmasked glimpse of fear in her eyes. What was wrong? She wanted to push the matter, but knew that if the brunette didn't want to say at that moment, there was no point forcing the matter as she'd only clam up completely.

"So long as you're fine," Chloe half-reasoned and half-asked as she stared intently into her friend's eyes and she gazed back. After some time doing this (what felt like no time at all to the girls, but almost an eternity to the on looking friend) Jesse cheekily cleared his throat and spoke, "Well, if you two are quite done looking into one another's souls, we're ready to leave. Lunch will be over in a minute or so anyhow." Jumping with surprise at the voice's interruption, both teenagers' with agreement.

Scooting from the seats, the group discarded their rubbish and any leftover food (in Beca's case a whole pot of soup) before traipsing outside. The harsh winter wind hit them immediately as the group stepped into the outside grounds. A few minutes later, as the rosy cheeked and shivering teenagers casually chatted, the bell for afternoon tutor time rang. Lunch was over. Hell had begun.

 **4 Minutes Later**

Silence ensued as the students of Beca's form filed into their room, past the inspecting and beady eyes of Ms Radcliffe. Once seated, the students waited for their tutor to leave the room so that they might have a chance to whisper to their seating partner before the dragon was to return and scold anyone caught conversing.

"So," Chloe whispered as Ms Radcliffe made an excuse about forgetting their newsletters and marched from the room, "Would you mind telling me about the soup thing?" After a deep breath, Beca met the ginger's intense eyes and replied slowly, selecting her words cautiously.

"I..tend to buy food in the hope that..that it'll make me feel hungry and eat it," Chloe scrunched her brow endearingly as she tried to understand the obviously hidden meaning in this, "Today..today it just didn't work." Beca shrugged in an attempt at appearing casual, but Chloe saw through this façade to the nervous girl behind it.

"Do you mind me asking a personal question, Beca?" the ginger looked at the brunette with full concentration, checking for any signs showing her she needed to stop.

"Err..no, go ahead?" Beca replied, no longer masking her anxious tone.

"Are you..do you have..umm..a..a disor-" Beca winced at the start of the final word and the ginger immediately cut herself off, not wanting to cause her friend pain. Instead, Chloe reached out and pulled the brunette into a tight, reassuring hug. During their embrace, Beca appeared to relax a little after a minute of remaining tense and on edge. Once more at ease though, the brunette nodded into the taller girl's neck - answering the provocative question. Feeling a rush of emotions, the protective Chloe Beale squeezed Beca tighter, trying to make her supporting presence more exaggerated.

Their emotional exchange was halted at the clunky sound of the witch entering the corridor nearby. Pulling away from one another, Chloe saw the glistening marks on her friend's cheeks and, lifting her long fingers, she brushed them away in a couple of soft movements, lingering perhaps a little longer than necessary. With a large gulp of the air, Beca recovered her composure and both girls proceeded to have a professional outward appearance for the remainder of their time trapped in their classroom.

 **Last Lesson**

Both girls had English and headed for the tall building through the drizzling school grounds. The typically tiresome climb up the three flights of stairs to Miss Lavender's classroom was marginally less tiresome for Beca with the giggling company she kept, making her laugh and lose concentration on realising how weary her short legs were.

"Ahh, you're Chloe, right? I'm Miss Lavender, and you have the honour of being taught by me for English from now on!" the blonde lady joked as Chloe and Beca reached the top of the stairs. Appreciating the promising sense of humour from her teacher, the grinning ginger responded, "And you have the complete and utter honour of teaching me from now on!" Miss Lavender chuckled at her new student's cheekiness and addressed both girls in saying, "Well, you've already given me the opportunity for a seating plan change. Just stand at the front of the room with your fellow classmates and I'll have you feeling a part of the class in no time." The girls obliged and, once the last few students had arrived (typically Stacie being the last arrival with a muscular boy adorning short dark brown hair and a confident smirk), the jovial teacher got them all to line up in single file around the classroom border.

"Is this a..normal procedure?" Chloe asked the neighbouring Beca.

Snorting, Beca sarcastically answered, "Oh yeah, watch out because we'll be doing circuits while reciting Shakespeare if you're not careful," with a wink.

Blushing profusely, Chloe averted her eyes and waited her turn to be seated. Finally, her name is called and she feels hope as she finds herself in the 3rd row back from the front of the room - seated in front of Beca. However, all positivity drained from her face as she turns to see who was seated next to her.

In a slightly muddy rugby kit, with his brown hair smoothly combed back from flopping onto his forehead sat the boy Tom. The boy who'd, in a couple of stupid 'hook-ups' singlehandedly turned her life upside down - and in a bad way. Admittedly, Chloe knew it was all over and Tom didn't even know. But looking at him just brought it all back.

In order to choke the tears from her experience earlier that year, the ginger cleared her throat and concentrated on reading all the posters around the room in order to avoid eye contact with anyone: especially him. Utterly unaware of all of this, the built rugby player had his back turned away from the ginger and was instead flirting wholeheartedly with the brunette he'd walked into the class with and happened to be sat with - Stacie. She flicked her long dark hair and batted her eyelashes to exaggerate being impressed by the boy's drooling on about how he was toning his body. Reaching out her long, perfectly manicured fingers, the tall girl gasped superficially as she felt Tom's tensed bicep through his tight sleeve. When the students were called to attention by Miss Lavender, the boy glanced at Chloe and simply whispered, "Oh hey Chloe, Stace mentioned you'd moved here," before turning back to distract Stacie from the teacher's words.

Observing all of this (including the tearing up of Chloe whenever she glanced towards the boy next to her), Beca felt a wave of heated fury boil up inside her. Despite knowing Tom had no idea about the abortion, the onlooker still thought it out of order for him to flirt so obviously with Chloe's FRIEND. Sure, Beca reasoned, Stacie flirted with anyone and everyone - especially if they were toned - but there's still the word respect around, right?! It was all the fiery girl could do to not climb over her desk and throw a punch or two. She felt so bad for the wounded puppy-like creature shrinking into their seat before her, and so mad at the cause for it. It was unnecessary and needed dealing with before Chloe got damaged severely, in Beca's protective mind.

Throughout the lesson, Beca tried to concoct a plan which would get Chloe out of the situation she was in and into a better one. The current one was out of the question as it would only cause hurt for the girl, which would lead to a lack of focus and then underachieving - which wasn't a good idea if the ginger wanted to perhaps be a primary school English teacher, like she'd told Beca enthusiastically earlier that day. Conclusively, Beca realised she had to talk to Miss Lavender at the end of the lesson about it. That way, it could be sorted efficiently. However, the brunette couldn't simply say that it was upsetting her friend to see Stacie and her ex flirting; she'd have to get as close to the truth of the conflict between Chloe & Tom without actually giving the details.

As the bell signalled everyone could pack their bags and leave, Beca was still deep in thought. The class cleared of classmates, and Chloe had left in a hurry without even saying farewell, which the brunette knew to be unlike her.

"Everything alright, Beca?" Miss Lavender looked concerned as she spoke to the frowning girl packing her bag slowly.

"Err..not really, Madam," Beca finished with her bag and, with it resting on her shoulder, she walked to her teacher's desk where the blonde woman sat.

"Do you mind me asking what the matter is?" Miss Lavender proceeded politely, knowing not to push someone like the introverted brunette for answers.

"It's actually about the seating plan. I know this may sound stupid and I sound like I'm calling for unreasonable favours, but I wondered if you could tweak it?"

"It's probably not unreasonable, nor stupid, Beca. Is there something wrong with you being sat by Barb?"

Beca internally groaned. Barb, the one other kids made fun of and called 'Baloney Barb', was incredibly boring, but definitely not a problem.

"No, it's actually not about my seating position."

"Then I don't think it's selfish, Beca. Who is it about?" the woman strategically asked small questions, so as to get the most out of the troubled student before her.

"Well, it's Chloe and Tom. They..they have BAD history. I don't mean a petty break-up though, Madam. I'm referring to much more serious stuff that happened which I'm afraid isn't for me to say. However, I could see Chloe getting upset in the lesson today - clearly having the previously buried memories resurface."

With a stern expression, Beca's teacher nodded slowly and severely replied, "I understand. Now, if something serious happened it's best to inform the authorities. Nevertheless, like you said, this is strictly about you so I won't press for any details, nor shall I bring my knowledge on any of it up to anyone. I can re-jig the seating so that they're not together. If Chloe's that fragile right now, perhaps I should seat her by you? She'll probably need support, especially I saw Tom & Stacie.."

Relieved at Miss Lavender making the connections herself, and appreciative of the discretion promised, Beca nodded and added, "Thank you, Madam. I really appreciate that, and I know she will too." With that, the girl smiled weakly and left.

Before going to her ride home, the exhausted brunette slumped down onto a cold metal bench on the outskirts of a park adjacent to the school. There she tilted her head back and sighed deeply, allowing her heated breath to float into the frosty atmosphere. How emotionally draining it was to be a protective friend..Beca thought. She felt almost as if all the energy had been sucked from her, and the only way to 'recharge' was via food. Food..did this mean she was hungry? Finally hungry?

Feeling satisfied despite her fatigue, the girl closed her eyes and allowed the events of the day to buzz past her and drift away - leaving her to rest in peace.


	10. (S)mutton Lamb

**I need to apologise again, I'm sorry about the delay. Anyway (like this chapter title hints with its pathetic pun) I thought it time some developing happened..enjoy!**

* * *

"Oh, come on, Beca," the ginger cheekily coaxed - her eyes daringly piercing the unlit and gloomy classroom. The two were alone and the door was closed. Not a sound from outside the four walls managed to disturb the building tension. Chloe proceeded to slowly back further into the shadows, her voice beguiling the brunette.

"Let me see your dark side!" the taller girl whispered with an excited glint in her eyes, "Just play along.."

Beca tried to cover up the surge of anticipation surging through her body at the silky voice's words, quivering under the weight of them. Instead, she shifted her weight uncomfortably and sighed, making no movement towards the friend cloaked in darkness. Stupidly, the brunette thought this would work against the determined ginger - it didn't.

A set of thin fingers reached out and grasped Beca's folded arm before dragging her to the hand's source. It hadn't been a forceful pull, but the brunette was small (and rather light), so that combined with her surprise led to a stumbling pair of boots. Beca felt her feet tip and her body drift forward. However, instead of the hard floor meeting the small girl, a body strained to keep her from falling. Chloe propped Beca up, her protective hands holding the brunette's narrow shoulders firmly.

About to let go and distance the two of them, the ginger found herself distracted, staring into the deep eyes before her. Her line of vision drifted down from the girl's dark eyes to her soft lips. Beca's mouth was slightly ajar - just enough to tempt the other girl. Just enough to make her feel a strong current rushing through her. Gently sliding her right hand up to rest on the brunette's neck while her left hand simultaneously crept down to rest and the smaller girl's hip, Chloe took one last look into the darting (yet seemingly fearless) eyes boring into her before using her left hand's newfound grip to pull Beca into her. The brunette found her feet, placing them shoulder-width apart in order to steady herself. The ginger confidently and with a lack of shame took the opportunity in their close proximity to stare down Beca's vest top. Liking what she saw, Chloe subconsciously licked her lips - she didn't realise, but the brunette did and smirked.

"Like what you see, Beale?" Beca managed to whisper at the hungry teenager pressed against her at the waist. Grinning, Chloe met the brunette's eyes once again and sighed, "Yes" before closing her eyes, leaning down and connecting lips with Beca. Both girls tensed at the immediate adrenaline pumping through their veins and the ginger twisted her fingers into the hair on the back of the brunette's neck. She used this to passionately push their lips together with more force. More impatience. More lust.

Their mouths moulded together into a unison movement, rhythmically pushing and tugging at each other, waiting for one to give in. Beca snaked her arms up around Chloe's neck and, like the ginger, used the position to push her partner into the kiss more. Sneakily, Chloe used Beca's wide stance to her advantage as she lifted her thigh to bridge the gap. The brunette gasped and a low groan escaped her lips. In a flash, Chloe seized her chance and slid her tongue into Beca's mouth. The ginger confidently explored the brunette's mouth as Beca moaned in anticipation and pulled Chloe in as far as she could. Chuckling into the flushed girl's mouth, the taller girl slowly crawled her hand from Beca's neck to the hem of her top. Still exploring one another's mouths and letting out appreciative noises, the ginger's long fingers crept under the top and skimmed up the brunette's small frame to her destination. Her thumb ran along the soft skin under Beca's bra and the smaller girl's breath hitched. However, she proceeded to kiss Chloe after a moment's breath, urging the ginger on. Satisfied with this reaction, the ginger swiftly dipped her hand under the material which had been clinging to the smaller girl's perky breasts until now. She stroked and squeezed gently before, slightly more aggressively tugging at the left breast's erect nipple. Beca let out an uncontrollable whimper and Chloe got her other hand to join the right breast.

The brunette's head flung back and her breathing became uneven and ragged. Her hands jumped down to the belt loops on Chloe's jeans and pulled her in closer, pushing the ginger's trapped thigh up against the girl's dampened core. The ginger's heart started to pick up speed and she chose to make a transition. Leaning into the other girl's body more, Chloe's lips caressed Beca's exposed neck, gently sucking and cheekily nipping at it. Her right hand left the breast reluctantly as it traced gently down to what it truly craved. Surreptitiously unfastening the button of Beca's jeans, and slowly dragging the zip down, the girl's long fingers teasingly traced from the small girl's hips down into her jeans over her damp panties and back out again. Beca bucked her hips up, truly desperate for Chloe to stop teasing and she whined between shuddering breaths, "Go on..please..Chlo."

Smiling into Beca's collarbone, the ginger gave it a sudden nip as she slid a finger under the lining of Beca's clothes. She traced over the brunette's flaps and pushed her hand fully under the drenched underwear. Curving their bodies together, Chloe inserted one finger teasingly and retracted almost immediately. She pulled back and Beca stared in awe at the girl as she put her wet finger in her mouth. After a second of sucking, the ginger whispered with a smile "sweet" before kissing the brunette's lips and delving her hand back to Beca's throbbing core.

Now, she slid two fingers in and slowly, unbearably, started a rhythmic circular motion, rubbing the clit as Beca groaned more powerfully. She increased the speed slightly, and then suddenly stopped only to stick two fingers inside the girl fully and stroking gently inside, locating the brunette's g spot with ease. Chloe beckoned to it, coaxing it before going back to the clit again.

Beca needed release; tension was rolling through her whole body like a huge storm, causing her to tremor uncontrollably. It was too much, but she wanted to hold on for Chloe. She didn't want to disappoint her. She needed release..

* * *

The teenager shot up from her pillow as the alarm clock yelled in the background. Frozen with wide eyes and bed-hair, Beca's mind buzzed over what she'd just dreamed..why would she think of that? It's not like she wanted that..Chloe was straight and JUST a good friend. The brunette was sure of both these factors.

Sighing, the sleepyhead shifted her legs slightly to get out of bed only to have the realisation of how much that dream must have meant hit her. Cautiously, Beca slid her hand under the covers and her pyjama trousers to re-emerge with a disgusted frown on her face and her hand covered in a liquid which had oozed over her pyjamas through the night. The girl cursed her bad luck, and odd scenario, as she hobbled to clear herself up before school. Soon, her dream was forgotten about completely..or that's what she told herself.

* * *

 **1 Hour Later**

Beca walked sluggishly towards her tutor room, dreading the inevitable encounter with the ginger.

It wasn't that she didn't like Chloe, it was the complete opposite. Her body (though obviously not her mind because they were just friends, the brunette told herself) seemed to like Chloe a staggering amount. That intense dream..

Shaking her head, and actively discarding the wandering thoughts within, the small girl took a deep breath and entered the French department.

Dark blue with a few scuffs from wear clung tightly to the outstretched girl's thighs before maintaining the straight cut into a slight flare at the bottom, hiding the top of the heeled brown boots. Laced through her belt loops was a large leather belt snaking around and joining at the large buckle. Above the jeans waistband toned flesh revealed itself, gleaming in the light. This uncovered skin ended just above her belly button where she'd tied the pastel blue & white thinly-striped shirt into a knot. The shirt hung loosely on the girl's chest and shone a spotlight on her collar bone where it was casually unbuttoned before making the long sleeves covering her arms. Her hair fell wild and messy in its wavy.

Nervously approaching the body lounging against her chair with her feet propped on Beca's, the brunette took the opportunity while the ginger's eyes were closed to take in the sight and gawk helplessly. However, once she realised it had probably been a matter of minutes, Beca decided to act as if she couldn't see the sexual appeal emanating from her friend.

"Umm..howdy?"

At the immediate sound of the brunette's awkward tone of voice, Chloe shot up and grinned immensely at the wide-eyed girl before her as she swung her legs to the ground and beckoned for her friend to sit. The ginger shrugged happily in response, "I saw Piper Perabo strutting her stuff as a coyote last night and thought I'd give it a whirl." She winked and Beca (blushing) queried, "Coyote?"

"In the film Coyote Ugly. I would tell you about it..but you don't watch and have no intention to watch films," Beca grinned lopsidedly at this and replied, "You know me so well, cowgirl. How come you're here so early?"

"Oh," Chloe leaned in to her friend with the hint of being about to disclose private information, "Well, I couldn't sleep. And in psychology, we've been informed about the theory that if we can't sleep it's because we're awake in someone else's dream. I wonder who was dreaming about me..and what I was doing!" Distracted by her own enthusiasm and curiosity about the matter, the ginger didn't notice the brunette look timidly down at her feet briefly before composing herself and looking back up.

"I guess it'll always remain a mystery," Beca replied as smoothly as she could - raising one eyebrow slightly to pretend to make a sincere expression. Giggling at her friend joking around, Chloe allowed the thought to slip away as she wondered whether the weird dream she'd had including Beca the previous night would've affected the brunette's sleep..

Feeling slightly bashful about the dream she'd had - and completely oblivious to her friend's equally uncomfortable thoughts - Chloe made an excuse about needing to check for her psychology work in her bag and hid under the table to recover herself.

Beca's voice echoed under the desk, "We have English first. I feel like this lesson will bring change, a very specific change." The brunette smirked to herself (and was more thinking aloud than talking to the crouching tiger under the desk) and therefore jumped a little when I voice replied, "Beca what the hell are you going on about?!"

Her mind now distancing from the dream and her reddened cheeks paler once again, the cowgirl emerged with an inquisitive look. Subconsciously, she cocked her her head slightly to the left like a confused puppy, causing a surge of warmth to overflow in Beca's chest and a smile of admiration to play on the smaller girl's lips.

"BECA?!" Chloe nearly yelled and her friend snapped out of her daze - her glazed eyes meeting the icy blue crystals as the glistening inside them disappeared.

"Err..nothing. Just a hunch, s'all," Beca quickly responded to the increasingly-puzzled ginger.

"Okay.." Chloe reluctantly said, with a thick underlying tone of suspicion, as Ms Radcliffe marched into the room (register in hand and scowl on face).

* * *

 **1st Lesson**

"Actually Chloe," Miss Lavender soothingly says to the ginger before she follows her classmates streaming into the room, "I've thought it best to do a bit of a seating switch. Barb's unable to see over the height of Tom in front of her," Chloe accidentally pulled a face of disgust at the boy's name which her teacher noted, "So I wondered if you'd mind swapping? I understand you know Beca an-"

"Yes!" Chloe beamed and cut in before realising her rude interruption to an authoritative figure, "Sorry Madam." The student looked to her feet, embarrassed.

"No need to be sorry, your enthusiasm is just what I wanted to hear Chloe," the blonde woman empathetically smiled as the girl thanked her quietly and proceeded to her new seat at the back of the room.

With her typical - and adorable - frown of concentration, the brunette rapidly scrawled down the title and answer to the first starter question on the board as the ginger slipped into the seat beside her. After savouring a few moments of staring with endearment at the small girl, Chloe decided to clear her throat politely to announce her arrival. Beca's head shot up with an already-present grin on her face: she of course already was aware of the seating change and, despite her wanting to act surprised; the brunette couldn't keep from beaming. However, the ginger simply beamed back. They smiled at one another for some time before one of them decided to speak.

"So..I have you to thank for this, right? Or are you genuinely a superhero with psychic powers?!" Chloe pretended to seem overly in awe and gasped in mock astonishment when Beca replied, "Of course I'm a superhero..how couldn't I be?" and agreed with the brunette's joking arrogant remark. Though, truthfully, she wasn't lying when she agreed about Beca's incredibility - in her eyes, at least.

The two girls proceeded to joke around in the lesson while doing their work, and when the bell for the lesson to end rang both suddenly realised they were among other people - for, throughout the previous hour, they'd felt all their surroundings fall away as they themselves fell into utter bliss. Giggling, Chloe & Beca joyously proceeded to their next lesson.

* * *

 **Later On During That School Day**

Chloe had been at the school for her first week, and had quickly developed a steady routine. At break time, she'd go to sit with Beca, Benji, Emily & Jesse either in the canteen or Jesse's tutor room (if it was empty so they could chat undisturbed). At lunch, she'd spend time with them all again while they all ate, and then Benji & Emily tended to go to a computer room while Jesse would go to the library. That left the two girls to hang out and do whatever they wanted (or, if homework, what they needed). Typically, they'd leave the canteen to go somewhere quieter like an empty room or a bench by the empty football fields of frost and simply chat. For some reason, Chloe found it easy to talk to Beca for hours without ever tiring or feeling claustrophobic. What was weirder though was that the brunette hadn't tried to push her away yet: making her wonder whether Beca found it as enjoyable to spend time together as she did. During their frees, Chloe had started to join Jesse & Beca in their 'support & study group' at the library. However, she rarely got her work done as the ginger was helpless under the sight of Beca's little frown of concentration and cheeks heating up with frustration. Occasionally, Chloe would find herself seeing Jesse look at her and smirk smugly (for no reason in her mind) before quietly returning to his work. The new girl found it odd; though she'd been at Barden for only five days, she felt as if she'd known it for years. It felt as if the school was like a second home to her already, with Jesse, Benji & Emily as family. But not Beca. She didn't understand why, but the ginger couldn't imagine her small friend as family, it felt weird. Wrong, even. But why?

"And the wolf shall lie with the lamb."

A voice pierced the atmosphere and made Chloe feel as if she were to jump out of her skin. Before knowing who even said the line, or registering what it meant, the ginger spoke, "Sorry, what?"

"The wolf shall lie with the lamb," the friendly voice registered in the ginger's brain and she smiled over at Jesse as he continued, "It's from Isaiah, in the Bible. We're studying it and how it may reflect human intention in my religious studies/philosophy class. I just felt like reading a bit of it aloud." He took a moment to look at his friend as her understanding grew before adding with a smirk, "Don't s'pose you know anyone with an intention to do such things with someone as innocent as a lamb?" Chloe snorted at the elaborate attempt at teasing she'd realised Jesse liked to do, though she wasn't sure why he kept aiming them at her.

"No, I don't know any wolves which wish to 'lie' with lambs. Though you-"

"That's an incorrect quote."

A voice cut in through the tanned boy and ginger girl's conversation in the otherwise silent library. Looking the indignant tanned boy in the eye before moving to the taken aback ginger, the voice took a breath before continuing, "That's not the quote. It's often misquoted to say that, so I guess the website with it was written by one of those dumbasses," Chloe chuckled lightly at this as she kept eye contact with the newcomer to the discussion. They proceeded with their explanation, "It's actually 'And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat'. It goes on with more animals, as it fills those thin pages with description, but that's the part I think you were referring to." Jesse gaped at Beca across the table in shock at his friend smiling smugly to herself while her eyes twinkled daringly at her companions.

With the corners of her mouth turned up with her confidence and pride, along with her smouldering stare, the ginger's icy blue irises shrunk as her pupils dilated to fill the space. Her heart beat faster and her abs tensed while below that she felt a writhing feeling. She'd never realised Beca was so smart: she thought the brunette was perhaps a little above average. Impressed at the girl's perfect performance, the ginger bit her lip as she also took in the sight before her.

Oddly, Chloe noticed that she'd been distracted by the captivating conversations her and Beca had been having that day and hadn't actually taken into account the outfit her friend was wearing. As per usual, the brunette wore black skinnies which accentuated her slim legs and helped her feet disappear into her black DM's. Despite the small acknowledgement the ginger was willing to give this; her focus was more Beca's torso. The smaller girl had chosen to adorn a low-cut black vest top which grasped her frame tightly and was as thin (and slightly transparent) as a layer of skin. Then Chloe understood why she hadn't seized her opportunity to actually study the modest girl's upper body. Previously, Beca had been wearing her baggy navy hoodie with the front pouch and white cord lock hanging down. However, the library got rather stuffy it seemed from all the computers whirring with their dusty fans and the lack of windows open in an attempt to protect the shelves of worn books. So, Beca must have removed her hoodie. But why did Chloe feel compelled to look so intently at Beca's bare skin displayed? Why did her eyes trace the smooth chest with the odd blemish of a mole here and there (which the ginger didn't feel affected the brunette's clear beauty anyhow)? And then her icy blue, though largely black, eyes travelled down further. They examined the round curve of Beca's breasts, and noted the larger size with their smooth complexion slightly showing from before where the top cuts off. In the amber light, the brunette's navy lace bra became more prominent as well, as its detailed pattern made an imprint into the top; as if to try and rip through the fibres.

Realising how she was staring through silence, Chloe quickly tried to snap her attention back to the present. She managed it long enough to notice Beca's smirk widen and just in time to see the beaming brunette wink at the increasingly-blushing ginger. Luckily for Chloe, Jesse had returned to his phone to search for the correct quote Beca had spoken of and to correct his notes, and furthermore missed a prime opportunity of teasing. However, Beca hadn't missed it. So why was she smiling? Chloe was confused at her friend's reaction, which simply made her mortified even further as she worried the other girl's grin was actually a sign that she was hatching a plan to mock the ginger with later. Where had she seen that mischievous grin before?

Within seconds, Chloe pinpointed the memory: her dream from the previous night. During the dream, she'd found herself trying to be confident and catch Beca off guard by dragging her to an enclosed space. It was dark because the ginger thought it would give off an air of mystery and sexiness. Her voice was as layered and silky as she could make it, while (once she eventually spoke) Beca's was raspy and slightly husky, making the ginger feel weak at the knees. Despite this, she kept the pretense up and used what the awoken Chloe could only imagine to be knowledge gained from tv shows/films she'd seen as a skill to demonstrate on the smaller girl. The events had occurred with such a tense atmosphere, yet ended so suddenly when her ignorant alarm pierced the dream. Dream, she reminded herself, that's what it was. A weird dream. Chloe had watched Orange is the New Black recently, so discarded it as being inspired from that. But still, even hours later in school, the ginger couldn't fathom as to why it was BECA in the dream. What did it all mean? And why did she find she'd had the reaction she did to it..it was unfathomable and easier to simply ignore in the ginger's mind. That was certainly the logical option - however, the question wasn't what was logical. The question was whether she could forget it, and whether it would appear again..?


	11. Succulent Strawberry

**A/N Okay so I owe a BIG apology. It's no excuse but I've been a little distracted and this story deserves to be finished. So, without any more putting it off.. Enjoy! (Also, I'm going to try and post the next chapter within a couple of days and will do my best to keep you all updated).**

* * *

 **Sunday Morning**

A pile of untouched homework assignments lay scattered across the messy eggshell duvet. A playlist of pop music blared through the pink & black speakers either side of the cream desk and the desktop in the centre hummed patiently.

However, to the ginger perched on a white suede stool at her desk it was all a distant setting. Her bright blue eyes were glazed and her bottom lip was ensnared beneath her teeth. Her mind wandered..

It focused on the image of a certain brunette concentrating so hard on her music the first day Chloe joined Barden. She recalled how her eyes were drawn away from her homework and glued to the girl. Chloe's memory reflected on how Beca's brow furrowed and her cheeks reddened with frustration. And also how the small girl's expression melted away all together as she let her fingers and toes tap to a successful melody blasting through her headphones. Then Chloe found herself thinking about the edgy girl's sculpted and slim body.. How her jeans would cling to her muscular legs and her breasts would rise from her vest top as she breathed..

"Beca.." the ginger sighed, feeling her bottom lip tingle as she released it from her teeth's grip.

"CHLOEEE!" a voice squeaked and at that instant the girl was brought back to reality with a (literal) crash. Chloe felt a lungful of air free itself from her body as a small figure propelled himself into her and, consequently, sent them both falling onto the cream carpet.

A deep voice in the open doorway to the bedroom echoed, "Ethan leave your sister alone. I told you she needs to get homework done." Chloe looked down at the head of messy strawberry blond hair as her younger brother started to loosen his grip and get up. Chuckling, Chloe raised herself onto her elbows, "It's okay Dad, I could do with a distraction from all of," she gestured to her worksheets on the bed, "this".

"Well I'm taking the boys to the shop after picking Charlie up from football, maybe you should get some fresh air and meet a friend?" Her dad smiled compassionately back at his still slightly-flustered daughter.

Giving it a few second's thought (which was enough time for Beca's face to pop up in the ginger's brain), she replied slowly, "Actually, that's not a bad idea," and grinned.

"Cool, just text to let me know if you're going out and when you think you'll be back," Chloe's dad replied before making his way with Ethan down the stairs.

Chloe took their absence as a cue to start hatching a plan and before she even comprehended her subconscious actions she found her mouse already on Facebook and hovering over Beca's active name.

With a deep breath, Chloe decided to give in to her (weird) mind and clicked. She started typing a message and stopped. Her mind had gone blank. Her stomach had started twisting into a knot. Her heart had elevated its pace. What the hell was going on with her body?! Why was she so.. Nervous?! Frowning, Chloe quickly typed her message and clicked enter before her nerves could talk her out of trying to socialise.

No reply.

She waited, her orbs glued to the screen for a few minutes. After a couple of songs had gone by on her playlist Chloe decided to distract herself and get a snack. She pranced across her room and skipped down the stairs.

* * *

 **10 Minutes Later**

Beca used a towel to finish giving her hair a rough dry as she walked across the landing back to her room. Here she bent over and continued to rub the remaining droplets of water from her brown waves.

 _ping_

Beca was curious to know who was messaging her mid-morning on a Sunday (when her dorky friends typically avoided social media to finish their extended projects and additional homework tasks). With her towel resting over her shoulders and damp strands of hair covering her face, the brunette leaned across to use the mousepad and navigate the Facebook tab on her laptop browser. As her eyes fell upon who the 2 unread messages were from Beca felt her throat dry and chest constrict. Wait.. What was she doing?! Chloe was JUST a friend, Beca reminded herself while also picturing the gorgeous girl.

Without a moment's more hesitation, the blushing teenager opened the messages:

 _Chloe: Hey hotshot ;) Sooo I'm bored and wondered if you knew anyone fun I could hang out with?_

 _Chloe: Okay okay I know you're just playing hard to get, but genuinely are you free? XD_

A smirk spread across the brunette's face as her slim fingers furiously typed a reply:

 _Beca: I'll have to check I haven't any royal obligations... You seem to be in luck ;)_

Before Beca could click off the chat, the bubble appeared in Chloe's corner.. The small girl's dark blue eyes stared at it with such intensity it looked almost as if she was trying to melt a hole in her laptop screen.

 _Chloe: Awes! What's your address? I'll pick you up._

 _Beca: Oh c'mon we both know you're my stalker.. Surely you know my address ;)_

 _Chloe: Hmm.. Good point. It's the white house on Crescent Lane, right? ;)_

 _Beca: Dude wtf.. How'd you know that?!_

 _Chloe: My many talents are to remain a mystery ;) See ya in about 30 mins!_

Staring in awe at their naturally flirtatious conversation, Beca inwardly cursed herself. Why did she have to like-like her straight friend.. Such a cliché.

After a few minutes of brow-furrowing and pondering on her thoughts, Beca looked at the clock on her laptop lock screen and panicked - she only had 26 minutes to get ready! Hurriedly, the brunette leapt back into the bathroom to apply her make-up. Minutes later she emerged with her typical layer of eyeliner and mascara applied to both top and bottom lashes, with a grey-navy smokey eyeshadow effect to accompany her look.

Heading towards her wardrobe, Beca dropped her towel to the floor and pulled on a pair of black silky underwear with a charcoal grey trim. Smiling at how the dark colour made the surrounding pale skin glow brighter, the girl slipped on and fastened a matching silky black & grey bra. Next, she grabbed her low-cut black vest top from a pile of clean laundry and slid it over her head and naturally drying hair. Last was to choose her jeans.. However before doing this Beca decided to put on a small assortment of black bracelets onto her right wrist, and several silver rings scattered evenly across both hands. Conclusively, the brunette wanted to counter her dark appearance and chose her light blue skinny jeans. They were frayed from good use and had a couple of small rips near the knees, adding to the edgy look. As she was pulling up her zip and fastening the button she heard the doorbell echo throughout the house. Frantically, she glanced at the clock and noticed that Chloe was 8 MINUTES early.

Before she had the opportunity to even leave her bedroom, the small teenager heard her dad's footsteps as he walked to and opened the door. A few seconds later he shouted, "Beca, your friend's here". Slightly worried about how her dad was going to react to his daughter going out on a Sunday with homework still to do and no pre-asking him, the brunette gulped nervously and descended the stairs.

As she walked slowly through the archway into the kitchen, Beca saw an unsettling scene of her dad and Sheila laughing at a joke presumably told by the ginger facing them. Before any of the trio had noticed her presence, the brunette took the opportunity to gawk momentarily at the other girl's outfit. Beca's lustful gaze followed Chloe's slender legs up from her black pumps to her short denim shorts (with frayed pockets on the back and slightly straggly thread at the bottom), and above to a baggy yet complimentary navy sweatshirt. The sweatshirt seemed to have an off the shoulder design, revealing a bare shoulder and (Beca presumed) prominent collarbone.

"Beca, I didn't realise you had plans?" Dr Mitchell smiled, though quirked a questioning eyebrow at his daydreaming daughter. Chloe looked over her shoulder coyly and noticed the brunette gaping at her. Grinning smugly, the ginger briefly raked her eyes up her friend's complimentary outfit before turning back to the adults, "Sorry Dr Mitchell, I kind of.. Sprung the plan on Beca last-minute".

The melodic tune in Chloe's voice snapped the brunette back to reality and she stared nervously at her dad. Surprisingly, he smiled reassuringly, " That's okay Chloe, and you can call me Benjamin." Beaming, Chloe thanked him before turning to the wide-eyed girl in the doorway, "Becs are you ready?"

"Umm.. Not quite, d- do you wanna come upstairs and wait while I finish?" Beca replied slowly as she still took in what her formal father had said to the stunning female before her. Nodding in response, Chloe stepped towards Beca before turning back briefly, "It was lovely meeting you Benjamin and Sheila".

Astonished, Beca closed her bedroom door and made eye contact with the taller girl. She stammered, "He.. He never tells people to call him anything but 'Dr Mitchell'.. How did you do that?" The brunette didn't mean for her pitch to rise quite so squeakily at the end of her query and she blushed as a result of this.

Smirking, Chloe took a step closer to the brunette and watched the girl shift uncomfortably. Her chest started to rise and fall at an irregular and more frequent pace. Her pupils dilated to become unfathomably beautiful black holes. Her throat dried. Her eyes glanced down towards Chloe's glossy lips. If only the ginger knew she was doing the exact same things to this nervous teenager before she whispered, "I guess I just have a way with words".

Chuckling at the brunette who subconsciously licked her lips, the taller girl decided to take it a (literal) step further. In an instant her arms were around the small figure before her and pulling her into the air.

Squirming a little to escape and squealing with surprise, Beca tried to break loose. However, Chloe simply tightened her grip as she carried the frantic brunette over to the bed. Dropping the light body onto the mattress effortlessly, the ginger climbed up and straddled herself atop Beca's shifting body. Smirking, Chloe caught the other girl's wrists and leaned forward to trap them above the 'prey's' head.

Chloe's face was hovering directly above Beca's, and she could almost taste the strawberry scent on the ginger's breath as she gloated, "You're mine now" with a mesmerising wink.

Trying to hide her nerves, the blushing brunette noted how Chloe's pelvic region was sinking lower onto hers as she proceeded to struggle. With a plan in mind, Beca put it into action. She swiftly lifted one of her thighs up to gently contact with the ginger's core. Caught off-guard (and enjoying the sensation) Chloe gasped, as Beca used this leverage to spin Chloe over and roll her over to switch their positions.

Panting slightly, Beca looked at the dazed girl beneath her and grinned. The brunette was unaware, but Chloe's mind was buzzing with questions and doubts about what had just happened and how the contact had made her feel - she didn't even realise she was now on the bottom until she heard the whisper inches from her face.

"You were saying?" Beca smirked, and imitated Chloe's cocky wink.

Opening her mouth to reply, Chloe found a lack of words. She was utterly speechless, and all because of this girl. Beca had left her incompetent and star struck.

After a moment's silence, the brunette spoke again with a more casual tone, "So.. What are we getting up to today?"

Before the blushing ginger could control her tongue, she heard herself murmur in a silky voice, "I have a few ideas..". Beca's eyes widened and her smirk grew as she fully understood the tone with which her friend had responded. Chloe was mortified and searching every inch of the smaller girl's beautiful face for signs of hurt or dismay.

Beca closed her eyes briefly and her lips parted, as her mind internally whirred for a clever reply. When she reopened her eyes she saw the most tantalising expression beneath her. Chloe's eyes were shut and her chin slightly raised, as her lips parted and a soft sigh released itself. Without thinking of what she was doing, the brunette closed her eyes again as she leaned down and connected their lips.

Reality hit Beca suddenly as the electricity pulsed through her buzzing lips, and she was about to pull back to bashfully apologise when she felt something. It was Chloe. She was kissing her back. Her glossy lips were moulding themselves to Beca's. Realising her opportunity, the brunette closed her eyes and proceeded to indulge in the strawberry-scented kiss.

The ginger could feel Beca's eagerness and responded by slipping her hands under the brunette's arms and round to rest on her exposed shoulder blades. Here she gradually dug her nails in and pulled the other girl into the kiss more. As Beca lowered her body slightly, her thigh brushed in between the taller girl's legs and she felt a purr release from the back of Chloe's throat. Chuckling slightly into the kiss, Beca repeated her leg movement and as Chloe moaned once again she slipped her tongue into the other girl's mouth.

Her tongue danced and twirled smoothly, exploring the deepest crevices. Soon, she felt a stir as Chloe copied and allowed her tongue to gently skim Beca's on her way into the brunette's mouth. This caused a shiver down the smaller girl's spine and resulted in the rhythm to quicken its passionate pace.

With her right hand travelled under the ginger waves and knotted in Chloe's hair, Beca started to sneak her left hand down to grasp the taller girl's bare thigh. She used her grip on the toned leg to help force her own thigh downwards and began to grind onto Chloe's core - her denim shorts lacking the ability to serve as a barrier to the rocking motion. Groaning with much appreciation, the ginger dug her nails into Beca's shoulder blades with more force and thrusted her hips up to make the contact more forceful.

Weirdly, Beca started to feel herself be spurred on as she felt the slender fingers scratching her bare skin and Chloe's encouraging moans travel between their lips. As Beca started to slide her left hand under the ginger's shorts on her thigh, she froze..

She could hear footsteps. Her dad's footsteps. He was getting closer.

As quick as lightning, Beca raised herself from the ginger and lunged off the bed to land, somewhat clumsily, into her swivel chair. Getting the message as her ears adjusted to the noise, Chloe raised herself and tried to clear her mind of the racing thoughts, her heart rate started to slow again. Glancing to the girl in the chair, she tried her hardest to suppress a giggle as the red-faced brunette wiped her hand across her lips to remove any lip gloss and ran her other hand shakily through her messy (but sexy, Chloe noted) wavy hair.

"Hey girls," Dr Mitchell spoke as he entered without knocking, "Sheila was just wondering if you two wanted any lunch before you left?" He looked expectantly at his daughter, however was confronted with a dazed expression and pink cheeks. About to question the odd state of his daughter, Benjamin opened his mouth but Chloe beat him to it.

"That's kind but no thanks, Benjamin," she chimed (and her melodic voice managed to snap Beca out of her daydream).

"Okay, well have fun," he smiled before turning, closing the door and walking back down the stairs.

Releasing the breath she'd been nervously trapping, Beca snuck a sideways glance at Chloe and was pleased to see the girl's eyes glinting with joy as she bit her lip.

"You know," Chloe quietly purred so that Beca had to move closer to hear, "One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't do enough experimenting at parties". Even though she knew the ginger was just joking, Beca couldn't help but let her smile falter a little. Noticing this, Chloe furrowed her brow slightly and in a concerned voice spoke, "Becs, what's wrong?"

Looking at her feet, the brunette replied with a shaky voice, "If.. If you want to pretend like.. That didn't just happen, tha- that's fine. I.. I just ca- can't be some straight girl's experiment again. I'm sor-" Before Beca could finish apologising, Chloe had gotten off the bed and wrapped her arms comfortingly around the snivelling girl. Once the brunette was less shaky, the taller girl (now kneeling on the carpet) pulled back a little to make eye contact.

"Beca, listen to me," she soothed and stroked a fallen tear from the smaller girl's cheek, "I would NEVER want to hurt you like that. I also.. Don't regret what just happened. If you'll let me, I'll explain everything." The brunette nodded in response, and Chloe smiled, "Okay, you get your shoes and stuff and we'll leave. I want to take you to this place before we talk".

Beca obeyed, and as they left the house she appeared to be back to her normal self - which pleased the ginger and seemed to lift a weight that had been trapping Chloe's heart. The brunette quirked an eyebrow as she stared at Chloe's 'ride'. It was turquoise and slender. It was also a bicycle, not a car. Trying not to gape, Beca halted as she admired the ginger's legs swing over the saddle to sit comfortably.

"Hurry up, you perv," Chloe giggled as Beca walked and took her position being sat on the white basket & wide handlebars in front of the ginger.

* * *

 **25 Minutes Later**

The bike smoothly turned off of the main road to head down a narrower dirt path. Beca admired how at ease Chloe was as she seamlessly dodged potholes and large stones. They then took a left and headed into a forest. The Sun's powerful rays shot through the light green coverage and gave the woodland a warm and peaceful atmosphere. About 200 metres along this path Chloe brought the them to a stop and both girls hopped onto the soft earthy ground. Resting her bike against a large trunk first, the ginger then reached out her hand to carefully grip Beca's wrist before leading them both down a relatively steep slope. She stopped when they got to a dark, wooden bench, which had minimal moss growing on its slightly weathered frame.

Without hesitation, the ginger sat down on it and waited while Beca admired the carpentry; in the centre of the back of the bench (where there's usually an engraved plaque) there was an intricately carved outline. The outline was of what appeared to be a mother & father embracing their three children (one tall girl, two smaller boys) and Beca admired it in more detail as she sat on next to Chloe.

"My dad did it. He and I made the bench and he carved the sketch into the wood before I treated it," Chloe spoke softly and Beca looked up to stare into the slightly cloudy orbs, "My mum was an artist, so that drawing was actually hers. After she passed away my dad, brothers and I wanted to do something special." She sighed and continued, "This forest is kind of a unique place for my family; we'd walk here all the time when I was young, less so when my brother's were both born. But my mum loved it. She used to say to me that the forest was full of spirits listening to your troubles". Beca searched Chloe's face for any look of upset, but she seemed happy while recalling the memory.

"That's why we chose to make a bench, dedicated to her and put it here. Whenever I feel like life is closing in on me I like to come here and just think, it comforts me to feel like I don't have to say a word and yet I'm being understood. I might sound mad.." Her voice drifted off as she nervously looked at Beca. The brunette smiled sincerely and replied, "You don't sound mad, I understand. Also.. Thank you for bringing me here."

Chloe grinned with glee and replied, "Thank you, Becs. That seriously means a lot." They gazed into each other's eyes with ineffable adoration until a nearby bird squawked them back to reality.

Clearing her throat, Beca huskily spoke, "So.. Err you said you'd explain..?" Humming in agreement, the ginger replied, "Oh yeah. Okay so you remember that night out at the club where I told you I'd never really felt an animal urge to have sex with guys, and stuff like that?" Beca nodded, "So I don't want to freak you out but.. I don't know what it is.. You're just.. Some- something else," she sighed and pulled her eyes away from Beca's intense stare.

"Like I said earlier, I don't regret what happened. And, truthfully, I don't really understand what I'm feeling or why. But Mum was really good at giving advice, and she told me to always just seize opportunities and go with what my heart beats for." Sliding off the bench, Chloe brought herself down to kneel in the soft earth at the quizzical brunette's feet, "So, Beca Mitchell, I want to ask if you'll go on a date with me?" She smiled sweetly, her nerves clear in her creased forehead. A minute passed while Beca's mind tried to understand what was going on.

"I mean," Chloe quickly fumbled to cover herself, "If you think that'd be weird then we can forget, like, everything. But if you do say yes then know I don't want make anything public (especially as you're not out and I'm not even sure what I am) and I don't want to make you feel pressur-"

"Yes".

Chloe's jaw dropped and her eyes widened before a large smile crept onto her face.

"Seriously?!" She squealed, and as Beca smiled back and nodded she leapt up and buzzed on the spot, "Come on then, let's go have our date!"

They rose and Chloe practically sprinted with excitement back to the bike, where she jumped on and cycled Beca towards town with increased speed. The only time she wasn't focused on the road and pedalling her fastest was when they free-wheeled downhill.

Mesmerised, Chloe watched how the sun bounced from the brunette's gleaming skin and highlighted her soft lips. Smirking, Beca looked down at the bashful ginger and winked.


	12. Park That Thought

**A/N Thanks guys for the support and sticking with me through such a delay. Here's the next chapter - hope you enjoy - and I should let you know that I'll be posting the following two chapters tomorrow and the following day. I'm aware this is a short chapter, but you need something small before everything can explode.. Hope you enjoy the Bechloe-ness!**

* * *

After parking her bike and locking it up in the centre of the town's high street, Chloe joined Beca down a narrow side street who was questioningly staring at the building before them.

"'Freshly Squeezed'?" The brunette smirked at the name of the small store with mysteriously dark/blacked-out windows.

"Mmhmm," Chloe hummed, giving Beca a lack of a proper reply before gently gripping the smaller girl's wrist and dragging her inside.

A cool blast of air conditioning hit the girls as they stepped over the threshold and Beca inhaled through her nose to take in the combination of fruity scents in the air.

"Do you come here every morning to get your fruity smell?" The quizzical girl joked.

Turning back to wink at the girl behind her, the ginger responded, "Yup, every morning at 6am on the dot". Beca chuckled as they came to a stop in front of a large overhead board. Its bold writing was spread into varying brightly coloured boxes and it all quickly became clear: they sold fresh, home-made smoothies & juices. The board was divided due to the flavours of drinks they offered - for example, mango and other exotic fruits were written in an orange box, while berries were in a crimson box.

"You know what you want?" Chloe queried, snapping Beca away from her thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh I think I'll go for.. a berry blast?"

"Good choice," the ginger reassured, before saying to the man behind the counter, "One Berry Blast & one Mint Mystery please".

Once she'd paid (and refused to accept Beca's money, reminding her it was a date), the two walked to a park around the corner.

In the playpark children squealed and chased one another energetically around the equipment. Whereas, on the grassy field surrounding it couples and groups of friends lounged in the surprising sunlight. A cycle and pedestrian-friendly path bordered the outskirts of the park and was shadowed by a symmetrical line of light green beech trees.

Chloe found a spot on the dry emerald grass which wasn't too close to anyone else and sat down. Following her lead, the brunette crouched and placed their cold drinks between them.

"You know, you didn't have to carry them," Chloe smiled thoughtfully.

"It was the least I could do," Beca grinned back, "Plus, you even said that I'm a gentleman". Beca's wink made the ginger blush, but not before she'd thought of a reply.

"After this morning I'm not sure how gentle.. Eager maybe.. Experienced also. And as for man part, I couldn't care less what your gender is."

Frowning, Beca started to speak, "Wait.. Did I pressure you into more than you wanted? Shit I'm sorry, I shouldn't hav-"

"I was just joking, Becs," Chloe reassured as she simultaneously placed a comforting hand on the brunette's forearm. The concerned girl's immediate reaction as goose bumps appeared was to tense (and the ginger admired the way that Beca's muscles popped out slightly from her slender arms). However, after a few seconds, her body appeared to relax again despite Chloe maintaining subtle contact.

"Anyway," she continued with a mischievous tone, "I definitely wasn't complaining". This comment lit Beca's eyes up a little to resume their usual intensity and Chloe gladly started to be absorbed into their impassioned stare.

Leaning a little closer, the ginger whispered, "If we hadn't been interrupted who knows what we'd be up to right now". Beca blushed and Chloe giggled at how easy it was to tease the smaller girl. In response, the brunette crossed her arms like a disgruntled toddler and pouted dramatically.

Shaking her head as she laughed, Chloe reached down to pick up Beca's red-purple smoothie and handed it to her. She then held up her own citrus & mint drink.

"Cheers, Beca! And I hope you're enjoying our first date."

Rolling her eyes jokingly, the brunette brought her drink up to knock it against Chloe's before they both took a sip. Humming with pleasure at the explosion of taste, both girls took a second sip; indulging their taste buds in the natural flavours.

"So," Beca broke the silent appreciation, "By 'first date' are you implying there'll be a second?"

"Only if you impress me," Chloe smoothly replied, still not looking up from her tasty juice.

"Well shit.. I left my juggling batons at home!" The brunette replied, and received the response of uncontrollable giggles from Chloe who looked up at the smirking smaller girl.

A few more minutes of contented silence passed - though to the two girls time didn't appear to be a concept as they stared at one another.

"Chlo.. Why did you choose THIS to be our date? Don't get me wrong by the way, I'm seriously not complaining.. Just curious to know," Beca asked with a shrug.

Finishing her gulp of juice, the ginger cleared her throat, "Well.. I didn't want it to be too serious and formal of a setting because I know you wouldn't be able to relax and be yourself. And you're not a huge fan of movies, so that overruled the cinema as an option. As for the park, I didn't want to choose somewhere quiet in case you were nervous and felt forced to act a certain way. I equally didn't think somewhere bustling with people would be great. Whereas, this park offers a middle way; it's populated so you don't feel trapped, but no one bothers anyone else, or even pays any proper attention to them. Also, if you'd said no I wanted my plan to be able to also serve as a fall-back thing friends can do."

"And the drinks?" Beca prodded for more information, impressed so far at how much thought her friend had put into her choice of setting.

Chloe grimaced a little before sighing and explaining, "On a first date it's VITAL (basically a tradition) that the person who asked buy's the person who accepts something. This is usually something to eat or drink, if it's not a cinema ticket, etc. I err.. Didn't want to make you feel compelled to eat and then be uncomfortable/look back and resent this whole experience. So, I concluded that a smoothie/juice would hopefully be suffice as a substitute". Nervously, the taller girl looked into her friend's intense, darker blue eyes. She said nothing. Her brow was ever-so-slightly creased, as if to understand something.

Slightly panicked at the lack of response, Chloe stammered, "Did.. Have I done something wrong? We can go somewhere else.. Or I can buy us some food if it's that?"

Beca stared into Chloe's frantic yet beautiful face, "I was just trying to remember when someone dedicated their time to being quite so considerate towards me.. I honestly can't remember".

Astonished, and relieved, the ginger stared back as the smaller girl proceeded, "Chlo this is genuinely the nicest out of any of my peers (and most of my family) that anyone's ever been.. Thank you."

Smiling modestly, the bashful girl replied, "Seriously it's nothing."

"No," Beca came across as harsher than intended in her tone and quickly went to amend herself, "I mean, you shouldn't put yourself down when you're so caring and compassionate and thoughtful. I wish I could just.." She leaned in slightly before blinking and, thinking better of it, retracted her stance.

After a lustful gaze into one another's eyes, the brunette added with a seductive smirk, "Not-to-mention, it's adorable that you wanted a back-up plan for if I said no.. Because in what world would I EVER deny romantic company with someone so.. Incredible and gorgeous?" The rhetorical question resonated in the air between the two, eventually coming to rest in Chloe's warmed (and rapidly-beating heart).

* * *

 **90 Minutes Later**

Beca's key turned in the door as she entered her home. From the kitchen the smell of spices wafted through, and (for the first time in a considerable while) the brunette didn't wrinkle her nose at the idea of a proper meal.

She traipsed through to find Sheila cooking and her dad reading a newspaper at the dining table. The peroxide blonde woman noticed the teenager first and cheerily asked, "Hey, did you have fun?"

Benjamin looked up from his paper and removed his glasses to observe.

"Yeah, actually. It was nice to get out in the Sun," the brunette smiled.

"My daughter? Happy to be in the Sun? What is this preposterous change?!" Dr Mitchell joked as he inserted himself into the conversation. Rolling her eyes at him, Beca turned her attention back to Sheila, "Would it be okay if I had some of that chili con carne with my salad? No rice though, please."

Taken aback, Sheila smiled ecstatically, "Of course! I'll let you know when it's done so you don't have it cold."

Still slightly gaping in shock, Beca's dad interjected after the two females had spoken a little more about dinner details, "Well, whatever this Chloe girl did to make you hungry, I approve".

As Beca left the two overexcited adults to remark on her 'ground-breaking' request, she thought to herself _'If only you knew Dad..'_ as she pictured the ginger and subconsciously licked her lips.

* * *

Once in her room, Beca kicked off her shoes and pulled her laptop onto her crossed legs as she allowed her weight to sink into the comfortable mattress of her bed. The screen whirred to life and the fan started screaming as she typed in her login and clicked enter.

Finding herself on Facebook, the brunette noticed she had several unread messages. Curious, Beca clicked on the nerdy group chat and scrolled up to the top of the conversation to see what she'd missed.

 _Benji: Did you guys know that Emily's A POET?_

 _Jesse: Okay… Lil lost here B-man._

 _Benji: She can write poetry in the sky, as a melody!_

 _Jesse: ?_

 _Emily: What Benji is trying to embarrass me about is that he found out I write songs in my spare time (there you are Benji!)_

 _Jesse: Ooh that's so cool! What do you write about?_

 _Emily: Nothing in particular, when I'm stressed I just like to channel it all into songwriting._

 _Jesse: That's SWEETTTT_

 _Benji: See Emily, you're even cooler now I've told them._

 _Jesse: Well best wait till B-woman sees this ;)_

 _Jesse: JK she'll think it's cool too_

A few worries Beca had been supressing floated to the fore-front of her mind: one of which was being the fact that, in order to get a good grade, her compilation coursework had be as an original piece as much as possible. The brunette quickly typed a reply agreeing with Jesse in the group chat before opening a separate tab with the bubbly girl.

 _Beca: I have a weird request.. It's also kinda got a deadline. Would you be able to write me a song for my compilation coursework?_

 _Emily: Yeah sure! When's the deadline?_

 _Beca: Wow.. You're literally a lifesaver and an angel. My coursework is due to be completely finished and handed in the in eight days (Monday)._

 _Emily: How long are you going to need for recording/editing, etc.?_

 _Beca: Umm.. Probably like 5 days? I'm sorry dude that gives you till like this Weds to finish writing.._

 _Emily: Don't worry, it'll be finished by then!_

 _Emily: Any requirements in style, lyrics, etc.?_

 _Beca: I don't mind what it's about, but it needs to have a repetitive chorus (easier to remix) which plays about 3-5 times, and simplistic verses. Ooh and harmony is really important (gotta be loosely based on Bach's style). Basically, the vocals are going to serve as my underlying harmony throughout._

 _Beca: Is that gonna be okay..?_

 _Emily: That should be fine; the song I'm currently working on seems to sort of reflect that description._

 _Beca: Thanks sooooo much for this dude :)_

 _Emily: Anytime Beca!_

Chuckling under her breath at the other girl's optimistic attitude, the brunette clicked to see her other unread message:

 _Chloe: See you tomorrow hotshot ;)_

 _Beca: I'll just look for the ginger stalker gawking at me ;)_

Before she could be distracted any further, the smaller girl turned off her laptop and picked up the first worksheet from her pile of homework to do. Sighing, Beca started on her assignments.


	13. To Be Or Not To Be: THAT Is The Question

**A/N Hey guys, sorry this is another shorter chapter :/ But tomorrow's is longer.. Just gotta set some things in place before shit goes down... Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Tuesday**

"Are you trying to.. get off with her?"

Silence.

"Wait," the voice persisted, "Are you GAY?"

Silence. Wide eyes stared with fear into the menacing confrontation.

"Holy shit.." it continued to speak to the frozen receiver. The voice got louder as others turned their heads to the scene.

"HOLY SHIT!"

The two girls' hearts raced together, as if to see which could sprint faster in the panic. Both remained rigid in their plastic seats while masses of eyes swivelled the increasingly-bright spotlight towards them. The inquisitive orbs burned into their victims, whispers sneaking from their lips and drifting into the ears of those nearest.

A new voice pierced the awaiting silence as the blonde woman entered the room, "Sorry I'm late everyone. Let's get started before the lesson is over!" Miss Lavender's enthusiastic chime caused the once-inquisitive expressions to suddenly transform to smug knowledge and the whispers became less discreet and much louder. No one acknowledged the teacher however. No one moved an inch.

That is, until the scraping of a single chair on the thin, worn carpet broke the spotlight's glare. In a rush, the navy suede ankle-boots strode from the back of the room past the gawking students and puzzled teacher. The heels clacked hurriedly as the girl raced through the door and down the stairs of the English block.

Once inside the clean, white-tiled room (a wall lined with mirrors over sinks, a hand dryer at the far end and cubicles lining the opposite side) the teenager looked at her reflection. The distressed ginger ran her trembling fingers through her messy locks as her wide eyes allowed water to stream down her cheeks and drip onto her shuddering bare collarbones.

In an attempt to steady herself, Chloe gripped the edge of the sink and focused on accentuating her breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. She still felt tense and out of place. Her heart still raced. The tears still rolled consistently. She hadn't even noticed the waterworks having started, and inwardly cursed herself as she realised that they were probably a factor for her fellow classmates gaining their expressions of snide conformation.

Why did tears have to mean she had given her answer anyway? Fury burnt its fiery way through the girl and she began to shake less as its heat travelled inside her. It wasn't their business whether she was gay or not.

A small voice in her mind spoke up, and asked the same question she was denying - was she gay..? Flirtatious, yes. A perhaps slightly inappropriate tease, yes. But gay? Chloe bit her lip and furrowed her brow deep in thought. Admittedly, she HAD been on a 'date' with Beca.. and kissed her.. and enjoyed it. But since when did Chloe have to define herself after having a bit of fun? It was such a stupid accusation.

Sure, Chloe contemplated, it was from Stacie who was about as subtle as a dazed piglet. However, that doesn't mean that she had the right to call attention upon her thoughtless accusations. Not-to-mention what a good friend to Chloe - and Beca - she was supposed to be. Though that had all started to change since Stacie had started getting close to Tom, the ginger thought darkly to herself. She was stupid; she didn't know the consequences to come from her actions. But still. Does she ever keep her mouth shut? No. Being popular and managing to have everyone listen to her didn't help: it meant whatever she might ask would become a fully escalated rumour within a matter of minutes.

"Hey," Beca's soft voice surprised Chloe, causing the subconsciously-pacing student to physically jump before spinning in her state to face the anxious brunette. Immediately seeing the uncontrolled panic in the taller girl's eyes, her friend rushed forward and brought her into a tight embrace. Beca welcomed the fruity scent emanating from Chloe and, without realising what she was doing, nestled her head into the ginger's neck more and pulled their bodies closer. Relieved, Chloe felt a rush of comfort envelope her. With this, the ginger burst into sobs and her wracking body clasped to Beca for support.

They remained intertwined like this for some time. The minutes brushed past and not a word was spoken.

Beca, fully aware and passive, allowed her thoughts to wander and contemplate what had just happened. Sure, she knew Chloe and she liked one another to quite a strong extent. However, she knew that the ginger was in no position to declare her sexuality or mixed emotions at this point. If it had been any other girl, Beca would've run from being mixed into the confusion Chloe was experiencing, but it was Chloe - trustworthy, adorable, sensitive, intelligent, beautiful Chloe. How could the brunette not want to help her dear friend out? However the ginger's reaction to Stacie's annoying yet innocent comment.. This puzzled Beca, as the outburst from her blubbering friend was most unlike someone who still didn't know where they stood.. It was more like the reaction from someone vulnerable being caught and confronted with the (almost/undeniable) truth.

Confused by this, Beca simply tried to set her awkwardness aside and soothe her companion - she gave up on rubbing Chloe's back or uttering 'words of support' as she found herself more uncomfortable and embarrassing than simply hugging the taller girl in silence.

* * *

 **1 Hour Later (Lunch)**

"So where is the ginga ninja?" Jesse brightly inquired as the exhausted brunette placed down her apple and sat at the canteen table. Emily & Benji were both animatedly chatting in the queue for roast and Jesse had his packed lunch open in front of him (a few crescent-shaped bite marks already present in the ham sandwich).

"Err..I last saw her waiting to go home in the reception area. During English," Beca replied without making eye contact with the tanned boy opposite her.

"Hmm.." the boy replied as his beady eyes narrowed and observed the nervous girl pick at the thin skin of her fruit and stare down at her lap.

"I heard some rumours."

"Really?" Beca replied with an uninterested, deflated tone. In reality, she wanted to know which gossip had evolved from the English debacle earlier, however, in their school (like most others) you didn't get told the rumours about yourself. Your best hope at hearing them was through your friends overhearing others discuss the gossip.

"Yeah," Jesse took a bite from his sandwich and chewed thoroughly as he watched his friend before continuing, "Apparently Chloe was making herself.." He thought about his wording quickly as a frown formed on Beca's forehead, "I've heard that she was flirting rather outrageously with a hobbit. But not just any hobbit.. a GIRL hobbit!"

Beca smiled weakly at her friend's attempt at cheering her up, and faked a glare at him - regretting the eye contact immediately. Sighing, she chose to reply simply with, "I bet she was the fairest hobbit of them all."

"Of course!" the tanned boy didn't hesitate to respond, pushing for more answers, "So.. is it true that she likes the 'female species'?"

"You say it so weirdly.. but I don't know personally. She's.. complex. Though, if she is, someone like her would have practically EVERY girl at her feet. Also-"

"Whoa," Jesse cut into the slightly-ranting and aggressive tone coming from his classmate, "Hold on! I was just asking because you'd be most likely to know. I mean, if she was gonna tell a friend she'd want it to be someone who'd comfort and accept her.. and you'd kinda be a hypocrite to not accept that. So, ease up on the jealous rant hobbit!"

Deep in thought again, Beca's mind drifted to the scene of Chloe crying in the bathroom and Jesse saying "she'd want it to be someone who'd comfort and accept her". What if..? Beca quickly discarded the nonsensical thought and brought her attention back to Jesse as he ended what he was saying.

"It's just gossip. People need to feed on rumours when our blood is unavailable," Beca shrugged and joked. Chuckling, Jesse acknowledged his friend was telling the truth about her knowledge (or lack of) on Chloe and shuffled along while Emily and Benji joined with their steaming plates of food.

* * *

 **That Evening**

 _Beca: Hey, apparently we're the new hottest couple ;) (also, are you okay..?)_

 _Chloe: I'm okay.. Just got a lot in my mind rn. Thanks for being there for me Becs. And how hot is hottest? ;)_

 _Beca: No problem bæ XD And judging by the ginger's physique imma say pretty damn hottttt._

Chloe had read the message. No reply.

 _Beca: Shit was that too far? I'm sorry.._

The second message unread, Beca sighed and sat back in her chair. Closing her eyes, the brunette clasped her slim hands behind her neck to offer support. Leaning back, the brunette started to drift off to the whirring sound of her laptop's overheating fan.

* * *

 **30 Minutes Later**

 _Ping_

Slightly groggy, the yawning brunette rose from her partial slumber and went back onto Facebook. As soon as she read the message she blinked twice and re-read it.

 _Chloe: Look outside your window._

Surprised, Beca stood and pulled her blind up, allowing the evening sunset to blast into her dark room. Stood below her window, phone in one hand, bike handlebars in the other, stood the breath-taking ginger. The orange Sun's beams bounced from her cream skin and set her hair (which was in a ponytail) on fire. Her teeth dazzled bright through her wide grin as she made eye contact with the brunette. Looking back down at her phone again, the girl outside started to type with one hand before readjusting her eyes back up to Beca.

 _Ping_

Moving back (reluctantly), Beca read the new message on her screen:

 _Chloe: Are you gonna make me serenade you or something?! Come down!_

 _Beca: Ooh I don't know.. Serenading sounds pretty good to me ;)_

 _Chloe: Fine. You asked for this..._

The brunette's ears pricked up as she started to hear a voice outside. They weren't talking.. They were singing. It sounded like melted gold to Beca's attentive ears. As she peered out the window again her heart stopped at the side. There Chloe was, her eyes staring up to Beca as she sang in her fiery appearance and soothing voice.

"You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you say..

I'm talking loud, not saying much.

I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet,

You shoot me down, but I get up."

Astonished, Beca gawked at the ginger. She was such a beautiful singer.. AND SHE KNEW DAVID GUETTA! The soprano's voice was the musical equivalent to sweet syrupy honey. The musical notes lifted from the ginger's lungs and scattered eloquently into the dusk air.

"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose. Fire away. Fire away. Ricochet, you take your aim, fire away, fire away. Oh you shoot me down, but I won't fall..I am titanium.."

After singing the chorus Chloe stopped and laughed at the girl above staring down at her like she was an angel or possible hallucination.

 _Chloe: Jeez Becs, put your tongue away! ;)_

 _Beca: Sorry, I'm literally speechless.. You can sing?!_

 _Chloe: Well duh.. I'm an A Level music student after all! Can't get a good grade only playing the triangle ;)_

 _Beca: Can I ask a HUGE favour? Other than to teach me how to play the triangle ;)_

 _Chloe: For you, anything ;)_

 _Beca: Okay.. Will you PLEASEEE do vocals on my compositional coursework piece? Em's going to have finished writing the song lyrics tomorrow, then I'll need a couple of days to make my ideas between vocals and everything work. This weekend good to record?_

Beca could hear Chloe's melodic laughter outside her ajar window and smiled.

 _Chloe: It would be my honour! Now will you move your lazy ass and join me?!_

Spinning her chair round, Beca slipped on her black DM's over her grey ripped skinnies and looked at her dark tonal outfit sceptically. Her vest top was black with illegible white chalk writing on the front. It was a wide neck, with a lack of any arm coverage and had the sides cut from it to make a basic drop arm vest. Grabbing her phone and keys to shove into her pockets, Beca sighed as she swiftly left her room.

As she opened the door, Beca was about to step out however the fiery blur pushed her inside and closed the door behind them. Chloe trapped Beca's back against the hallway's cream wall, and placed both hands above the brunette's shoulders, palms flat against the painted surface.

Within the blink of an eye, the ginger had leaned in and captured the smaller girl's lips mid-gasp. Almost immediately, the taller teenager's hands fell down to grip the brunette's hips and pull her onto one of her bare thighs. Moaning in appreciation Beca allowed Chloe to then slip her tongue into her purring mouth and after a second followed the confident girl's lead. She then brought her hands up and gripped the back of Chloe's neck - letting her slender fingers poke upwards into the ginger's roots under the ponytail.

After a few minutes of this intense embrace, Chloe pulled away and giggled (still slightly giddy) at Beca's lustful expression.

"So.. I wanted to reassure you that I'm okay," the ginger whispered, "And I wanted to clear my thoughts and decided to cycle over to.. Surprise you." A glint appeared in her sparkling eyes when she mentioned the word "surprise" and the brunette's brow rose slightly at this.

"Umm.. We should probably leave, Dad will be back in like ten minutes and Sheila's only out getting her nails done," Beca's eyes showed that she didn't want to leave, but her brain knew they had to.

"Okay, we'll leave," Chloe took a step back, "But first, do a twirl for me!"

Rolling her eyes, Beca crossed her arms indignantly (unwittingly flexing her biceps) as the ginger's eyes travelled up and down her body.

"Let me know when you're done perving," Beca smirked, and Chloe slowly stopped biting her bottom lip to stare at the brunette. Her cheeks were blushing slightly as she murmured, "Becs, you're so fucking hot right now".

The brunette allowed her own eyes to travel up from the other girl's bright pink trainers to her bare and tanned legs further to her black lycra short-shorts with a turquoise trim to rest on her matching pink & turquoise Adidas vest top & meshed sports bra, which clung to her toned body.

"Speak for yourself," the brunette concluded as her eyes met with Chloe's, her bottom lip trapped once again.

Giggling, both girls left the house and got onto the bike to cycle away.

* * *

 **35 Minutes Later**

The girls sat peacefully on the grass in the park where they'd had their 'date' and chatted with ease. A silence then fell after both teenagers were lying down and looking at the darkening sky. Beca was deep in thought when she heard Chloe say something.

"Beca, I don't think I'm a lesbian."

The brunette tried to stay nonplussed and casual, but her heart fell and her voice cracked midway through replying, "Oh".

Still not looking over, Chloe proceeded, "I don't find myself looking at and admiring a girl more than I do with a guy. To be honest, I don't look at someone and feel any need to define their gender. I've been doing a lot of thinking for.. Well a couple of years really. A year ago, I did some research and found this word which seemed to define how I felt completely. However, I was able to push it out of my mind.. Until I met you."

At the mention of her affecting the other girl, Beca turned onto her side to look at the uncomfortable ginger, who still kept her eyes on the sky.

Chloe took a deep breath before whispering really quietly (though just loud enough so that Beca could hear), "I.. I think I'm pansexual. I'm not sure if I am, or maybe I'm bisexual. All I know is I'm not.. normal."

A silence fell, and the taller girl still hadn't plucked up the courage to turn and face her friend, so instead snuck a quick glance. Beca was smiling at her. Not in a mean way, not in a shocked way, not in any way other than empathetic and kind.

"Chloe, you don't need to be scared.. You could be an alien as well for all I cared. What matters to me is that you can be true to yourself (and hopefully others) and love yourself for who you are."

A tear escaped the ginger's eye as she turned and hugged the girl next to her, "That may have been the kindest thing anyone's said to me in about six years, Beca", and the brunette's smile widened. She propped herself up a little more so that they could properly embrace for a few minutes.

When Chloe drew back, Beca started to smirk, "Does that mean you like me.. As more than a friend?" A light chuckle escaped from the smiling ginger as she rolled her eyes and commented in an ironic voice, "Godddd Beca you're so self-centred!" She gave the brunette a gentle shove in the shoulder, and in return found the body opposite her lunge. She rolled back onto her back as Beca mercilessly started to tickle the taller girl.

"Beca, Beca, no.. NO STOPPP," she squealed as the brunette's slim fingertips gently circled on Chloe's supple skin. She eventually stopped and, leaning down, gave the tearful & panting girl a quick peck on the lips before rolling off and standing in one swift movement. Reaching down, Beca lifted the stunned girl to her feet and grinned.

Nervously biting her bottom lip in an attempt to control the sensations flowing through her body, the ginger hesitated and looked at her feet, "There's one more thing, Becs".

With a deep breath, Chloe looked up into the intense yet concerned eyes, "I'm.. I think I need time to just figure out what's going on with me," Beca's face fell slightly, "Don't get me wrong, I think you're amazing. But I need to know that I'm not asking you on a date or kissing you spontaneously just because I'm curious to know what it's like.. I don't want to lead you on, and that's why.. I think we should just be friends."

The pained expression on Beca's face and the way her eyes had lost their brightness made Chloe feel sick to her stomach. She wanted to reach out and comfort the brunette, however knew that would be highly inappropriate given the circumstances.

In silence, the girls walked back to the bicycle. In silence, Chloe cycled as Beca sat on the handlebars. In silence, Beca got off the bike.

Before she walked away though, she turned and hugged the ginger, whispering in her friend's ear, "I understand, thank you for being honest." With a smile that Chloe didn't think looked forced, but was definitely weak, Beca stepped back and retreated into her house.

The girl was hurt, but her smile wasn't fake, which gave the ginger hope.. Maybe Beca would be okay with it. Before turning to cycle to her own home, Chloe made the decision to be especially cheerful with the brunette (her FRIEND) at school. With any luck, this may encourage Beca to feel better about the standstill.

Ironically, the brunette who had immediately gone to her room and sat on her bed to think was coming to the same decision in hope of making Chloe realise she'd done nothing wrong, simply surprised Beca.


	14. Whispers In The Dark

**A/N Happy Bank Holiday Monday to any Brits. As promised, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it..**

* * *

 **Friday Morning**

"Becaaaaa, pleaseeee!" the ginger whined pathetically in an attempt to win over her classmate. The brunette simply smirked at the desperation in Chloe's voice as she proceeded to load up the music software and feigned concentration on the screen in front of her. However, as soon as her eyes snuck a quick sideways glance at the defiant child adorably pouting next to her, Beca couldn't hold it anymore.

"Ughh," she sighed as she turned her full attention to the now excited puppy, "Define 'sleepover' please."

"Yayy!" Chloe squealed exultantly and threw her hands into the air in celebration. Beca rolled her eyes at the weird friend she had and added, "I haven't actually agreed, you know."

"Oh I know," the ginger grinned, "But you can't say no when this face is in jeopardy.." The taller girl widened her eyes in a wounded expression and pouted again: all before Beca could avert her eyes.

"Okay okay! Just don't make that face.. it makes me feel bad."

"I know it does," Chloe replied smugly and winked at the trapped brunette, "Soo.. d'you wanna just meet at hers or should we meet before and appear as a united front?"

"Dude, why have you agreed to go to a stupid sleepover if you're pissed at the HOSTESS?" Beca asked, frowning inquisitively. Chloe's heart faltered for just a moment as her eyes scanned the endearing expression before (distractedly) replying slowly, "Well.. it's.. it's not really anything to do with me being pissed off at Stacie for deciding to start dating.. To-.. him," she still winced at the thought of the name and corrected herself before damage could really be done. She continued after a deep breath, "It's about my friends from Walton being there. Plus, I get to show off to them my new adorable little friend," she winked, "I've made, right..?"

Looking for definite confirmation, Chloe hesitated before Beca nodded in response, "Who exactly is going, and are you sure it'll be okay with me there?"

"Oh well other than us and Stacie, it'll be Aubrey - she's the blonde one you met AGES ago - and this girl Lilly who you haven't met. Ashley & Jessica can't make it because of some volunteering thing, but Cynthia Rose will DEFINITELY be there, an-" Beca cut in with curiosity to the ginger thinking aloud, "Why did you say 'definitely' so accentuated?"

"Oh," Chloe chuckled, "Well Stacie doesn't just get the guys (and you) admiring her body. Also, if you mix the opportunity to spend time with her along with the high chance of alcohol influence and then the idea of a SLEEPOVER then.. Actually," she changed to be the inquiring one herself, "What do YOU think of Stacie these days?"

"Me?" Beca's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sudden question.

"Yeah. I mean, in the months I've known you, we've never really spoken about all that stuff."

"Stuff?" the brunette frowned, genuinely confused.

Chloe sighed, "I guess I'll spell it out, eh? What I'm asking is whether you 'like' Stacie. You used to perv at her, that's definite."

"Ohh," Beca blushed and tried to cover it by responding, "I thought at our age we'd be past the whole 'fancying' thing."

"Nope," her friend grinned before poking the brunette's knee and pursuing, "Soo.. answer my question! I need to prepare against rivals."

"What question?" Beca teased, though seeing the look on her impatient classmate's face decided to answer with, "Stacie's.. undeniably hot, and sure I sometimes get a little.. distracted. But I don't think of her THAT way as a person, if that makes sense? Anyway, she doesn't really have that power over me anymore."

"Womanizer, woman, womanizer. You're a womanizer, oh womanizer oh!" Chloe sang quietly to the chuckling brunette. Despite the ginger's attempt at making her voice more gravelly, Beca's stomach still flipped at the underlying chime in the singing. Dramatically gasping at Chloe's insinuation, Beca brought her hand to her mouth in fake horror before turning back to her work in, wanting to avoid further questions. The last thing she needed was to blab to the girl she liked the fact that there was no way Beca would get distracted by Stacie now. It had slightly slipped out, but Chloe had luckily been too preoccupied linking Britney Spears into the conversation.

Taking the hint, the taller girl responded over Beca's shoulder, "Okay.. have it your way. Though I'm warning you, I WILL get my answers from you soon if you're not going to tell me now. I'm very determined and persistent, you know."

Beca could sense the wink behind her and replied simply, "Oh I know you are." Giggling, Chloe got back to her work as well.

* * *

 **That Evening**

Impatiently, the girl paced between two trees spread a few metres apart at the edge of the playing field while a rugby game she was paying no attention to ensued on the pitch. Lying in the grass with its left side rested against the trunk of one of the trees, a pastel-coloured gym duffle bag with a floral print bulged with contents belonging to the pacing teenager.

The long spindly fingers of her right hand tightly clasped the mobile hovering beside her face, the golden ring on her index finger tapping anxiously on the phone's case. Her long legs strode swiftly before spinning on the heel and re-tracing their previous steps. Clenching her left fist at her side with all her strength, the muscles in her arms flexed through her tight black long-sleeved top and her knuckles went white to contrast the colour. With a partially urgent voice, the girl spoke into the phone's voicemail.

"Hurryyy up Becs! Are you even coming? There are so many huge dogs racing and they're fighting and everything and REALLY clo-"

A force collided with Chloe from behind, leaping into her. With a scream of terror, her phone fell from her grip and she stumbled forward. As she regained her balance, someone spoke up, "Chlo?"

Recognising the voice, Chloe managed to focus and see the cause of impact standing nervously behind her. The brunette shifted her weight from one foot to the other and frowned with concern at the ginger. Beca silently picked up Chloe's phone and offered it forward to the girl who now faced her. However, instead of taking the object, the shaking girl lunged in for an embrace. She squeezed the awkward brunette tight and sighed with relief into her. Beca manoeuvred so that her arms were free from her sides and instead slinked them around her taller friend's slim waist. They rested peacefully and she intertwined her hands' fingers to pull the petrified girl in closer. Chloe trembled and accepted the gesture as she folded her arms tighter around the brunette and bowed her head to have her forehead resting on Beca's.

"I.. I thought you weren't coming. And.. and that I was gonna be alone. Plus, I have this fear of dogs since one-" Chloe welled up a little - the panic and sunset along with the sudden relief had sent her into shock.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here," Beca comforted, moving her right hand up Chloe's back to stroke the bright locks soothingly. Her thumb brushed away a tear of mixed emotion rolling down the taller girl's cheek, though she cautiously kept her hand there.

Beca marvelled at how hidden this girl really was. Sure, she'd seen this side of Chloe several times before, but she thought it was because of the past simply bringing its relevance to the present suddenly in a reminder. What Beca hadn't thought of before was the concept that perhaps the past and its fears for Chloe were ALL that she lived with, and the bubbly self she seemed to show so often was simply a cover-up. Not a deceitful two-faced kind of thing, more a defence mechanism, Beca pondered. Or maybe her enthusiastic and optimistic side was true to herself; after all, Beca knew that Chloe was a genuine person with a genuine laugh and a genuine smile. That's what was so great about her, and so what if she had some issues due to past experiences? So what if she was triggered a little more easily than some people their age? It didn't matter to Beca in her mind; it meant the brunette perhaps had a better chance of helping her friend. It didn't change anything. It didn't change her feelings for Chloe. It didn't change the fact she loved her.

WAIT, Beca's mind froze. Loved..? Since when did Beca Mitchell, the sarcastic and pessimistic alternative teen, fall in love? She knew that she liked Chloe a lot, and sure, it brought her physical pain when she saw the ginger upset, and she would do anything she could to prevent even remote harm from happening to her. But was that love?

Oh shit..

"Becs?" Chloe whispered to the wide-eyed brunette. Beca shook her head to clear herself of the daring thoughts and murmured in response, "Yeah, Chlo?"

"We should probably get going, we were meant to be at Stacie's about 10 minutes ago."

"Good point," the brunette nodded formally, stepped back and gave Chloe her phone which was still in her hand. Chloe went to grab her duffle bag but Beca got there first and slung it on the opposite shoulder to her own black bag.

"Beca, I can take it," Chloe responded - her gratitude clear but not wanting her friend to feel obliged to help.

"Nahh, I've got it. It'll even up the distribution of weight," Beca smiled (fully recovered).

"Okay.. Well let me know if it's too much."

"Will do". The girls started walking around the perimeter of the field to the car park and road at the opposite end.

"And Beca?"

"Yeah?" Beca slowed as Chloe did and they looked at one another, their eyes sparkling in the diminishing light.

"Thank you," Chloe smiled. It was a genuine smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. It was an appreciative smile, a sad smile. A smile which had seen sorrowful things and would never forget the haunting images, yet battles through. A strong smile.

"Anytime," Beca replied as they picked up their pace and made their way through the grass.

* * *

 **20 Minutes Later**

The heavy door swung open and a squealing voice cried as two hands reached out and dragged the two girls in, "You took your time, didn't you?! Oh well, you're just in time to help us decide which food we orderrr!"

Stacie pranced off up the stairs as Chloe and Beca took their shoes off and closed the door. Grinning and bubbly once again, Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and pulled her up the stairs impatiently to join the voices growing louder.

As they entered Stacie's room, there was a shift of furniture and uproar as most of the girls swarmed towards the newcomers. They all greeted Beca politely before then hugging and chatting to Chloe about Walton and how much they missed her. Beca edged to the outskirts of the group and dropped hers and Chloe's bags by the hostess' bed. Stacie (who'd remained lying on top of the covers) grinned at the uncomfortable brunette and patted the space next to her, "Join me, shortie."

Rolling her eyes, Beca perched on the edge on the bed frame and glanced over to see Chloe still fully engaged in conversation with Aubrey, the others listening intently.

Stacie used this distraction and her long arms to her advantage as she leaned over, snaked her arm around Beca's small waist and pulled her back fully onto the bed. Beca squeaked but knew better than to resist, so she simply shifted to be lying in a more comfortable position, facing Stacie who was triumphantly smirking about 7 inches away from Beca's face.

"So," she started cunningly, "What did you guys get up to? Chloe's NEVER late - it freaks the hell out of her."

Beca decided not to get into the whole extent of why they ran as late as they did, and went with a half-truth, "My Dad wanted to have a 'constructive chat' with me. Basically a warning about me coming to this due to the whole party thing at New Year's."

"Ahh," Stacie made an understanding expression, "Well, he doesn't need to worry. We'll just lock you in a foam box so you can't get hurt while drunk again."

"Sounds like a plan." The two girls grinned and the smaller brunette realised the chattering had died down. She looked over as a crowd of bodies peered at the small luminous screen of a laptop.

"Hey Beca," Cynthia Rose called over, "What d'you wanna eat? We've chosen to go with Domino's Pizza, if that's okay? And there are a couple of good group deals if you don't mind having a bit of everything."

Beca respected the welcoming gesture, and responded quickly, "Yeah, I love it all. Oh wait, except olives - which I can't stand. Though if everyone else wants them I can pick mine off."

"Don't worry," Chloe replied as she looked up. Her bright eyes shone even lighter in the screen's glare, mesmerising Beca, "Only Stacie has olives."

"Yeah," a voice whispered near Beca's ear. The girl flinched and looked at Stacie's mischievous expression, "I like all kinds - I'm up for anything you know." Her voice was lowered and she had a smile playing at the edge of her mouth.

"That takes a lot of willingness for things to go wrong, right?" Beca queried, trying her best to ignore the clear tone intended.

"Oh it doesn't go wrong with me; I ALWAYS get what I want."

"Hmm.. That is definitely a lot of determination just to get some olives on a pizza," Beca answered in a sincere tone (though perfectly aware of the deflection she was putting in place). She heard a quiet snicker and looked over to see Chloe trying to control herself, and another girl smiling wholeheartedly: AUBREY. The tight-lipped, disapproving blonde was actually grinning in encouragement at Beca's innocent pretence and Stacie's failed result of flirting.

"Ooh Beca, this is Lilly," Chloe indicated to the spindly Asian girl sat on the floor beside her. She had long, straight black hair with a thick fringe ending just above her eyes. Her cheeks were a little rosy, and matched the lightest pink stripe on her white and pink-purple striped t-shirt. She also wore crimson skinnies and waved with one bony arm to greet Beca rather than speak. Beca replied the gesture and said, "Hey".

"So the food is ordered!" Cynthia Rose exclaimed in her baggy navy round-neck jumper with the sleeves pushed up her forearms, and matching navy jeans.

"Woo-hoo!" Stacie cried joyfully and jumped off the bed. Beca hadn't noticed this but the taller brunette was wearing a tight denim skirt which reached 1/3 down her slim thighs, along with a white bardot neck jumper, her lacy grey bra straps the only material touching her shoulders.

Whereas, Aubrey had her hair up in a ponytail (much alike to Beca's first encounter with her, but with the alteration of being slightly looser, strands freely hanging either side of her face) and was wearing black floral embroidered shorts 2/4 down her long thighs along with a light blue 3/4 length sleeved top with a round neck. This more relaxed fashion approach surprised Beca, and didn't fit at all with the original personality she'd met.

The brunette had already admired Chloe's perfect outfit, as it flattered her in every way with the plain tight-fit long-sleeved black top with a wide neck which showed off her torso, and then the low-lying & tight navy skinnies with a bright red belt.

Truthfully, Beca felt a little mis-matched in her typical black skinnies and baggy dark green plaid shirt (with her sleeves messily shoved up her arms in her rush to meet the ginger). The lowest and highest two buttons remained undone. However, Beca was never one to feel self-conscious about being who she was so she simply discarded the slight discomfort on the matter and instead busied herself by listening to the conversation going on between the girls.

Aubrey was asking Stacie what they were going to be doing that night, in her typical controlling manner. Beca suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, and simply turned to face the beaming brunette as she explained.

"Well, you guys know I'm not the kind to invite people over and just watch boring films in silence.. So I thought that we could do something a bit more fun. I know not all of you like drinking, but that's just how the games go. So, if you don't wanna drink then I guess you just have to follow the rules and avoid it!"

"What kinda games are we talking about here, Stace?" Chloe asked, oblivious to any threat caused by letting Stacie have the power.

"Well," the tall girl grinned, "I thought we could take some of the typical games we used to play as kids on sleepovers and make them drinking ones. I'm not being original, they've been done by tons of people - but it's who's here which will make ours different to anyone else's! So, in answer to your question Chlo, I was thinking the games 'Would You Rather' & 'Truth Or Dare' would be an easy start. Or 'Truth/Dare Or Drink'. I don't really mind what we do, I just think that it's been ages and people change, so it would be good to get to know one another better without wading through the bullshit. Alcohol = people being more open and honest, it's gonna be spontaneous."

Aubrey frowned scornfully, Lilly seemed nonplussed, Chloe looked a little uneasy & unsure (clearly not fully happy with the idea of uncovering everything about herself), Cynthia Rose seemed happy with the idea of alcohol and dares - probably because of Stacie being involved - and Beca seemed uncomfortable with the idea of spilling her secrets, much alike to Chloe. The girls were silent as they absorbed this news until Beca spoke up, "But what about your parents?"

"Oh they're out at a meal right now. They'll get back about 11pm, go straight to bed and not care about what we're up to so long as we don't burn down the house or anything," Stacie shrugged calmly.

"And the booze?" the smaller brunette persisted.

"Don't worry shortie, I have it ALL covered," the taller girl winked confidently and dangled a key on her finger, "It's for the drinks cabinet. I got a copy cut a while ago when my parents left it hanging around, they have TONS." Aubrey looked uneasy at this fact and Lilly murmured something, though no one reacted (or perhaps even heard) so Beca was unsure whether it was supporting Stacie or not.

"Actually, we should probably get the drinks now," Stacie announced, advancing towards the door. She grabbed the smaller brunette's wrist on her way and pulled them both towards the doorway, "I need one more volunteer. Someone should watch the pizza update, a couple of other's be ready to get the food if the delivery happens before we're back."

"I volunteer as tribute," Chloe grinned, stepping forward. She chose to join them partly because she felt compelled to protect Beca from the girl she still hadn't forgiven, but also because a small voice in her head was ready to sprout ideas of what Stacie and Beca could get up to without her watching - and for some reason that would have annoyed her severely.

The three girls traipsed down the stairs from the loft down to get to the hallway. There, Stacie led them through the door under the stairs on the ground floor down into a separate room. This room had a desk and computer (presumably as a study-style setting for one/both of the tall girl's parents) and a long cabinet with sliding doors lining three of the four walls. Beca gawked at the masses of bottles behind the glass and wooden cases, amazed at the display.

"Oh shit.." Stacie hissed as she patted down her skirt pockets and discovered the lack of the keys, "I must've left the damn things up in my room. Chlo, would you mind getting them?"

Understanding the hint fully, Chloe chose to deflect it and replied, "I don't know what they look like. Maybe you should go Stace? We won't break anything, don't worry!" Chloe smiled sweetly and, without being able to reason with the fair comment, Stacie trudged up the stairs again.

Beca wandered forward a little and brushed her fingertips along the polished oak cabinet side, tracing invisible swirls with her hands. She stopped when she felt a presence close behind her. Turning, the brunette found herself staring into Chloe's eyes only a few inches away.

"Beca," Chloe started, "I want to warn you that Stacie won't stop until she gets what she's aiming for. It seems that's going to include you. I would say go for it but.. but I don't want her to hurt you, especially if you don't even like her that way very much."

"I don't like her that way at all," Beca whispered back, "I.. I thought I did at first - months ago. Then something.. No, someone caught my eye." The brunette's breath caught in her mouth as Chloe shifted her weight, moving her body closer.

"I.. I need to talk to you about something Becs," Chloe looked into her eyes searchingly, deciding whether to say or not, "I.. I wanted to know if you've ever felt a certain way about someone. Maybe about this person who caught your eye."

"Which way is that?" Beca encouraged quietly.

"It's hard to describe for me, but I'll try. It's like," Chloe closed her eyes and her face lit up as she spoke, "It's like everything you see and experience is in order for you to have more interesting things to tell them. It's like you can never have a bad day when they're there and you don't know why but for some reason they make you smile just by being present. Though if they're not there you freak the fuck out because you want to know if they're okay and what's happened, and you want to be there for them. This may sound selfish but you want them to feel the same wild, roller coaster feelings as you do. You want them to feel as excited at the tiniest and most insignificant stuff just because you'll be with them. You want them to want to be with you as much as you do them. It stops just being a kind of sexual attraction.. Becoming much, much more. I'm sorry, I could describe it endlessly. Does that make sense?" Chloe's eyes scanned Beca's emotionless face. The brunette was speechless at first and then spoke in a husky whisper, "It makes complete sense to me. But can I ask something?"

"Sure," Chloe uttered back, tense and ready to become defensive.

"Who is it ab-"

"Heyy guys, got it!" Stacie called as she skipped down the steps. The two girls stepped apart, and Beca saw Chloe's focused expression disappear under that of a warm smile. Beca watched silently as Stacie opened the cabinet doors and displayed the bottles.

"You two okay..?" the newcomer asked, unaware of how she'd shattered the ever-increasing tense atmosphere from seconds beforehand.

"Err.. yeah, what do we wanna take up?" Chloe replied stepping forward.

"That depends, what d'you drink shortie?" Stacie asked Beca in a seductive voice.

"Umm.. vodka? Whiskey? Beer? Most stuff to be honest Stace," the stunned girl answered as her mind replayed her conversation with Chloe over and over.

"Okayyy.. So let's take a couple of bottles of vodka, a 6-pack of beer and a bottle of whiskey?" Stacie half-concluded, half-inquired.

"Sure," Chloe said, accepting the bottles handed to her.

The girls locked the cabinet after having taken the drinks which they thought wouldn't be noticed for their absence and made their way back up the stairs.

"So, what did you two get up to while I got the keys?" the inquisitive girl persisted. Chloe and Beca exchanged a glance, aware that what was discussed was confidential, and the taller of the two replied, "Oh nothing much really. Just talked about some stuff from earlier."

"Ah, I see.." Stacie mused as they proceeded in silence, though all three girls' minds buzzed.

* * *

 **45 Minutes Later**

"Dinner is served!" Stacie squealed as Cynthia Rose and Aubrey carried in the boxes of strong smelling food. An eruption of growling stomachs ended only once the lids were opened and the hands surged forward to grasp their desired meal. It was a scramble, though not enough so that people got tangled by accident in the process. Despite this, somehow Stacie managed to intertwine her fingers awkwardly with Beca's, to which Beca blushed, Stacie flirted and the others frowned with disapproval - with the exception of Lilly, who was busy nibbling a slice of pepperoni pizza and focusing solely on the whole process.

The group chatted happily, including the small brunette as if they'd been acquainted for years. Even Aubrey, who perhaps felt her ginger friend's trust in the 'alt-girl' meant Beca wasn't necessarily that bad (that and the constant deflection Beca was putting in place in retaliation to Stacie's blatant flirting). All of the girls admitted they were single when Stacie queried (apparently for a game later on) and the tall brunette also explained that she, too, wasn't with anyone officially. Chloe's eyes briefly became that of a wounded puppy at the mention of Tom and Stacie keeping it 'open' and 'beneficial' with 'no commitments' but she quickly recovered after receiving a meaningful and empathetic smile from Beca.

"Soo.. Game time!" Stacie exclaimed excitedly as everyone was on their last slice of pizza, "We're already in a sort of circle but maybe make it a bit bigger?" The group obeyed and discarded the pizza boxes to rest in a pile beside the bin and doorway - everyone had finished at this point other than Lilly, who was still nibbling at her own pace. Beca had forced down a slice of pepperoni, and after noticing this Chloe had offered a proud smile which made the brunette's stomach flutter.

"What's the game gonna be Stace?" Cynthia Rose asked and Stacie grabbed the first bottle of vodka and unscrewed it, allowing the toxic odour to spread.

"I think a bit of truth or dare will do us quite well for our first game," Stacie smiled, "So these are the rules: You get the choice of truth or dare, and you choose one (like usual). However, if you don't want to do what you're told then you have to take a PROPER swig AND do whatever we request from the other category. For example, if you guys gave me a dare and I (for an unknown reason) didn't wanna do it, I'd have to drink and then answer whatever truth you give me, and vice versa. If you DO answer/follow the request for your chosen category (so if I did do the dare) then a person of your choice has to drink. Make sense?" Everyone nodded yet didn't say a word, realisation of how the night was more about Stacie gaining information on them all dawning on the other girls.

"Shouldn't we get changed for bed first?" Chloe asked, to which Stacie replied, "Oh don't worry, we'll have that opportunity later." With a smirk, Stacie spun one of the sealed bottles in the middle of the circle and waited for it to land on the person who'd be first to choose truth or dare.

It landed on Aubrey.

"Truth," the self-assured girl spoke. The brunette's smirk grew as Stacie knew what to ask to will the odds in her favour.

"Has your Dad ever walked in on you doing something you shouldn't be?"

Aubrey looked down, but not out of embarrassment more than annoyance at how unfair this game was going to be.

"I'm not answering that," she bluntly replied.

"Okay, then drink and you'll get a dare."

Aubrey took the bottle handed to her and, after a deep breath, connected the glass to her lips and let a rush of the liquid pour into her throat. Burning her insides, the blonde winced and coughed a little. When she went to hand it back to Stacie, the brunette shook her head and instructed, "I dare you to down about 2/3 of that bottle's contents. It's 700ml soo.. let's go for 450ml."

Sighing, and with her eyes narrowed at Stacie, Aubrey reluctantly lifted the bottle to her mouth once again and gulped - her face contorted. She brought the bottle down and, with a challenging look, she handed it back to Stacie.

"Let's go clockwise now, eh? So Cynthia Rose," the brunette in control smiled softly at the stocky girl across from her.

"I'll go with dare," Cynthia Rose said with an equal amount of self-confidence that the blonde next to her had had.

"Okay, what d'you guys think? Try and involve alcohol." Instead of saying anything (or maybe she did and wasn't heard), the quiet girl Lilly pushed Stacie's hand with the vodka bottle towards the latest victim.

"Oh I can drink vodka EASILY," Cynthia Rose scoffed.

"Drink the rest of the bottle then, that's just under 300ml. No hesitation allowed," Stacie ordered.

The girl obeyed. Lilly had to take a drink from the second bottle of vodka because Cynthia Rose complied with her demand.

Next was Beca.

"What's it to be, Becs?" Chloe chimed in teasingly.

"Err..truth?" Beca uneasily replied, looking solely at Chloe. That's why surprise struck when Aubrey spoke, swaying slightly from the effect of the alcohol.

"What's the.. most.. per- personal thing you've told Chlo?" she slurred a little, and Beca grinned at the lightweight's actions opposite her. Then her mind travelled to all the things she'd told her ginger friend. Chloe subtly shook her head to warn the brunette off answering the question, as she knew Beca couldn't come up with a plausible lie that wouldn't be interrogated further.

"Pass, I guess?" Beca swigged from the bottle handed to her and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand clumsily.

Aubrey nodded and proceeded, "Well then.. I.. err.. I dare you to drink from the bottle?"

"No way," Stacie interjected, "That's not a good one for her. I dare YOU, Beca Mitchell, to kiss the prettiest girl in the room PROPERLY."

"What?" Beca was incredulous.

"What?!" Chloe indignantly cut in, annoyed even further at the ridiculous extent Stacie's trying to get with Beca was getting to.

"Wha..?" Aubrey sighed dejectedly, confused and dizzy.

"You heard me, do it." Stacie put on a sterner tone and authoritatively ordered the smaller brunette.

"You can't make me," Beca replied with a frown.

"Pleaseee play along Becs!" Stacie cooed, changing her tone drastically from desconds earlier.

"Well that's subjective and stupid, but fine - for the sake of the pathetic game," Beca huffed. She wouldn't have agreed if it were down to the fact that she didn't like to admit defeat, but this was the first impression most of the girls were making of her, and she didn't want to spoil the game. Kneeling, Beca crawled across the circle towards Aubrey. After she got the disgusted-looking expression she aimed for from the blonde, Beca changed course and headed towards the girl to her right.

Wide-eyed, Chloe stared at Beca. Beca brought her hands up to hold the ginger's slim and angular face gently, brushing the strands of fiery locks aside. Keeping eye contact at first, Beca slowly moved in and tilted her head to one side. Chloe did the same and closed her sparkling eyes as the brunette closed hers. With a lack of force, Beca's slightly parted lips collided with Chloe's. Instantaneously, they moulded together and began to move rhythmically.

Both the girls' stomachs twisted and knotted and untied and flipped - creating nervous butterflies - before repeating the process. The world and their surroundings appeared to fall apart (in Beca's mind) and she suddenly remembered their audience and pulled away reluctantly, and slowly. Just as reluctant and slowly, the brunette retreated back across the circle. Her cheeks were burning as bright and powerfully as the sun, especially whenever she stole a glance at the nervous ginger biting her lip in anticipation while watching Stacie choose truth.

Clearing her throat, the ginger asked, "How many times have you had sex with Tom?"

Aubrey and Beca snapped their heads to see the girl with the seemingly cool composure other than a biting lip, scanning her honest eyes for any signs of anger or upset. There was nothing. Why would there be? Beca contemplated; Chloe was brilliant. Brilliant people don't do the whole malicious thing. Right..?

"Lemme think.." Stacie thought aloud in response, "I don't know specifically, and it depends if you count.. Hmm.. I'd say over 20."

"Dude.. isn't that like twice a day?" Beca gawped.

"I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong, my counting is shitty," the confident girl replied, "Now it's Lilly's turn." The girls turned expectantly towards the small girl and Beca noticed how still they all became as they tried to hear the squeaking girl. When she spoke and no one appeared to comprehend her words, she sighed and spoke a little louder.

"Dare."

"I dare you," Cynthia Rose started, "To drink for 30 seconds non-stop." She unscrewed the bottle and handed it to the quiet girl. After sipping slowly for the required time, Lilly handed the bottle to Cynthia Rose who took a drink.

Beca's gaze drifted to the face among the burning embers opposite her. Chloe was avoiding eye contact with the brunette, and Beca worried that Chloe could feel her enjoyment from the kiss. They were meant to just be friends after all, which Chloe had made rather clear earlier that week.

"I choose truth," the ginger said with a little hesitance.

Stacie cleared her throat and spoke up, after waiting to see if anyone else had any ideas, "Was that your first kiss with a girl?"

Glaring, Chloe spoke sharply, "No, and you knew that already."

"True," Stacie shrugged nonchalantly. She took a drink from the bottle before announcing, "It's the end of the first round, so here's another rule. Everyone takes a drink AND (as you were so concerned about us needing to get changed Chlo) removes an item of clothing."

"Stacie, this is a REALLY weird game," Beca started.

"Oh come on Becs, you know you don't really mind this rule." Beca blushed and responded, "What about everyone else?"

"That's a good point, does anyone object?"

Aubrey was out of it, staring with her blurry vision up at the ceiling. Lilly muttered something but wasn't heard. Cynthia Rose was frowning with disapproval, but was aware of Stacie's involvement in the game so didn't speak. Beca remained defiant. And Chloe.. Chloe wanted to object and say how stupid it was, but something prevented her mouth from opening and a voice exiting. Did she want this? Was it something to do with the awkward girl sat across from her? Was it to do with the electrifying kiss that had made her feel like her nerves were going to explode with the sensation?

Beca tried to object again, "But what abo-"

"Look Becs," Stacie cut in - keeping her voice calm, "There are only 2 straight people in this circle. And, if I'm honest, I'm pretty sure one of them isn't anyway. Soo.. Drink some more and you'll forget your worries." She smiled at Beca who shrugged and took a couple of gulps when the bottle made its way to her.

There was a moment of silence and lack of eye contact (other than with Stacie trying to make everyone as uncomfortable as possible) when there was a call up the stairs.

"We're home, did anyone want a lift?"

Sighing Stacie got up along with Cynthia Rose & Lilly. As the trio started walking towards the door, Chloe asked, "You're leaving? It's only 11.15!"

"I gotta get up early tomorrow for football practice," Cynthia Rose explained.

"Lilly's got gymnastics early as well," Stacie added as she held the door open for the other two. They both put some chewing gum in their mouths (to counter the potent alcohol on their breath) and waved to the remaining 3 stunned girls sat in the room. Stacie followed them out to say good bye at the door, leaving Beca, Chloe and Aubrey in silence.

Aubrey appeared to have sobered up a marginal amount as she entered from the bathroom and spoke briskly, "Stacie's got something planned."

"I agree," Chloe nodded, a little worried at what it might be.

"Umm.. Aubrey?" Beca asked.

"Yes?"

"How come you're sober?"

"Oh, you know how I've been in the bathroom?"

Beca nodded.

"I drank 2 litres of water in quick succession to flush it further out of my system. I'm still not quite there, but I'm not as uncontrolled - still a little.. light-headed."

Stacie pranced back into the room, "My parents are driving the other two back, but I think we might want another bottle as we only have a small bit of vodka and that whiskey probably isn't suffice - it'll burn Aubrey's throat so badly she'll be hoarse tomorrow."

"Beca and I will get another vodka and take the whiskey back," Chloe chimed (unaware of the words leaving her mouth until they already had).

"Okey dokey," Stacie threw the keys to the ginger.

Quietly, cautiously, Chloe stood and left the room. Quietly, cautiously, Beca rose and went to the door before Stacie stopped her, handing her the sealed whiskey.

Chloe wasn't in sight when Beca got to the door under the stairs, and she assumed the taller girl had skipped in her usual bubbly way to the base of the stairs. Beca clumped down the stairs and, seeing the girl with her back to her, walked over. Silently placing the whiskey on the desk nearby, Beca used her free hands to reach over Chloe's shoulders and cover her eyes lightly, while whispering teasingly, "Guess who?"

Chloe spun with such speed that Beca hadn't even moved her hands. Instead, her arms remained resting atop Chloe's shoulders with her hands draped slightly over the edge. Before she could pull back however, she found a pair of arms tightening around her waist and pulling her in. Chloe stared down with a steely determination set in her piercing light blue eyes. Beca's heart began to beat faster as her mind tried to race and keep up with the sudden and unexpected transition.

Closing her eyes, Chloe leaned forward and crashed her parted lips into Beca's. The air was knocked from the brunette's lungs, but she didn't care. Instead, Beca found herself pushing forward into the kiss, bringing equal force. Their lips moved as one, urgent yet completely content. Beca's hands moved to the nape of Chloe's neck, tightly wrapping her fingers in the ginger's thick locks to bring her in closer. Chloe's tongue snaked its way out and softly stroked Beca's lips, searching for entry. The brunette complied willingly and the ginger's tongue began exploring as Beca did the same. Their moving mouths remained moulded as their tongues delicately danced in unison, weaving and darting.

Finally, they returned to the surface of reality and gazed with glassy eyes at one another. Chloe whispered, "I just needed to finish our conversation from here earlier. Did I make it clear?"

"Hmm," Beca smiled a little as she played along, "Pretty clear I must admit. Maybe you could explain it in a little more depth later though?"

"I would gladly do so. We should probably get back now."

Reluctantly, the two girls stepped apart. They returned the whiskey and grabbed another vodka from the stacked masses.

What had just happened? Beca's mind was utterly confused.. Only three days beforehand Chloe had said she didn't want to lead Beca on or be anything more than friends. Did this mean that the ginger had figured out her questions regarding herself? Could it mean that she was willing to take a chance with her friend..?

* * *

 **8 Minutes Later**

"How's your hand at cards, Beca?" Aubrey asked, with a certainly more positive tone when addressing the brunette.

Beca overlooked the scene in Stacie's room, with Aubrey sitting next to the now empty old bottle of vodka between her and a giggling Stacie - in the brunette's hands was a deck of cards, being shuffled. She spoke up, pausing to breath over her fits of laughter, "Blondie.." she nodded at Aubrey, "Has convinced me to drop the childish games from before and instead bring out the cards."

Grinning excitedly, Chloe squealed a little and jumped into the room to sit next to Aubrey in the tighter circle. Beca (with less enthusiasm) walked in and sat between Chloe and Stacie.

"I've played a little," Beca answered Aubrey's original question, "But I'm not fresh on all the rules."

"Don't worry," Stacie answered, "We've been playing for years in our group - Cynthia Rose taught us."

"Yeah," Chloe joined in with a lower voice aimed only for Beca's ears, "I'll give ya a helping hand." Beca blushed and observed the daring expression in the ginger's eyes before glancing to the other two girls to check they were unaware. However, Aubrey & Stacie were laughing over an inside joke of their own.

"Okay," Aubrey started, "There are 4 of us so I guess the best game could be Euchre?"

"What's that?" Beca asked.

"It's like bridge," Aubrey began to explain, "Basically, to win a hand-"

"No Bree," Chloe cut in, "That'll be WAY too complex to explain and remember, especially when there's vodka involved. How about cheat?"

"Seriously?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow, "That's such a boring game though."

"Not if we make anyone caught lying do a forfeit. The person who calls it gets to choose. However, if someone calls it and it turns out there wasn't any lying they have to do the forfeit themselves."

"Fine," Aubrey sighed, "The aim of the game is to get rid of all your cards first. You have to discard at least one card each turn, and if you choose to put down more than one then you need to state they're all the same number. However, you can lie and say you're putting down something (like two 3's) when you're putting something else down (like one 3 and one 4). You need to be stating a rank/number which is either one higher or one lower than the rank which was announced by the last person putting down. If you think/know someone's lying then you need to say 'cheat'. If it turns out they cheated then they have to take the whole discard pile as their hand AND do a forfeit. If you were wrong about it then YOU take the discard pile and do a forfeit. Capeesh?"

Beca nodded as Stacie dealt the shuffled cards to each of them. Aubrey, being left to the dealer, started. She placed a single card in the centre of the 4 girls and stated confidently, "One Jack." There was a pause to see if anyone objected before Chloe added two cards and said, "Two 10's." Beca then added one card and spoke slightly uncertainly, "One Jack." Chloe nodded to confirm Beca was playing right, and sent a warm jolt to the pit of the brunette's stomach. Stacie then played, "One Queen." The first round ended and the girls decided it a good idea to take as many swigs as cards they'd put down that turn - leaving Chloe to take an extra one for her two cards. The next round started and the pace increased. As the amount of cards narrowed down and people kept track of what had been played, it became tenser.

"Two 5's," Chloe chimed.

"Cheat!" Stacie cried out happily while flipping the two cards Chloe had put down to reveal a 5 and an 8. She pushed over the stacked discard pile and thought for a second before glancing at Beca's anxious expression and saying, "Chloe, your forfeit is to remove an item of your clothing."

Beca focused with a furrowed brow on her hand as Chloe, smirking, moved her hands down to her waist. Her long fingers unclasped the red belt and pulled it out. She then dropped it beside her, "Done!" she said simply with a sweet smile.

The game resumed with Beca starting, being careful to tell the truth as she was lacking the belt and confidence Chloe exuded at this point.

"Cheat," Aubrey said simply to Stacie. The brunette's cards were flipped however to reveal them being as she'd stated. Groaning, Aubrey accepted defeat by collecting the small discard pile and awaiting her forfeit.

"You strip too," Stacie spoke softly. Aubrey undid her ponytail and, when seeing Stacie start to object, raised a challenging eyebrow.

The game resumed with the next round after they all had a drink.

"Two aces," Chloe placed two cards from her huge array of cards onto the pile. Shit, Beca thought to herself, she only had a 5 in her hand.

"One 2," she placed the 5 on the pile. However, just as her hand left the card there was the shout she dreaded most.

"Cheat!"

"Oh come on Stace, it's the end of the game. We all know you're gonna win if Beca doesn't. Let's just call it quits, yeah?" Aubrey sighed, bored of her friend's antics.

"Sorry," the tall brunette smugly smiled, "Rules are rules.. Beca you strip as well."

Blushing, the brunette inwardly cursed her lack of jewellery today of all days. Slowly, her slender hands descended to her shirt and started to unbutton what was fastened. Her face fully crimson, Beca slid the shirt off of her pale shoulders. She looked up to see the bright blues (and slightly bleary due to alcohol) orbs glued to her physique. Stacie was frowning at Chloe questioningly, and Aubrey was preoccupied with the cards.

They all took turns to swig what remained of the third bottle of vodka.

"We're going to play one more drinking game," Stacie announced as she handed them each a beer from the 6-pack, "Whoever downs their beer the fastest and places it empty on the floor first gets to have a lack of forfeits for passing on any further questions tonight AND has priority on choosing questions/forfeits for the loser. Whoever comes last.. has to down the remaining two beers and face two more forfeits".

Beca's eyes widened, two more stripping forfeits would leave her in a more revealing compromise than she wanted, especially with Stacie's advances.

"Fuck it," Chloe agreed as she removed her eyes from Beca.

The four girls readied themselves as Stacie started to count down before pausing.

"Wait, on three or after three?"

"Umm.. on?" Aubrey suggested.

"One... Two..."

All the girls snapped open their beers and poured the sloppy brown liquid into their gulping mouths. At a glance, Chloe could see the smallest girl falling slightly behind.. She knew Beca couldn't lose or Stacie was sure to make a proper move. Sighing slightly into her beverage, the ginger paused before continuing. With her last gulp, the self-surrender landed Chloe in last place.

This shocked Beca; she'd seen Chloe knock back her drinks before at the club, and they were much worse than a boring beer. Maybe she had also been preoccupied..

"Here you are, Chlo," Stacie placed the two last beers in front of the grimacing girl. With a deep breath, she clasped a beer in her slender grip before opening its clasp and gulping it down. Lacking any hesitance after finishing one, she moved onto the next.

Placing the empty containers in front of Stacie, she smirked before blinking several times to bring Beca's impressed expression into focus.. Why did she always look so cute but also have that sexy, edgy vibe?

"So, I came first," the taller brunette chirped, "Meaning I get to pick Chloe's questions and forfeits for the rest of the night. First thing's first, why'd you ask me about Tom? I thought you guys are or used to be good friends.."

Aubrey and Beca joined Chloe in freezing at the mention of his name, as they anxiously glanced over at their tipsy friend.

"Passssss," Chloe practically hissed.

"Umm.. As a forfeit, ACTUALLY strip. Hang on, let me put some music on to make this fun." Stacie flicked through her Spotify playlist until she grinned and selected a song to play through her Bluetooth speaker which (conveniently) rested nearby.

 _"My mind is tellin' me no, but my body, my body's tellin' me yes._

 _Baby I don't wanna hurt nobody,_

 _But there's something I must confess..."_

Chloe rolled her eyes at Stacie's selection of 'Bump n' Grind' by R. Kelly before picking herself up and facing away from the girls. Slowly, she reached down and snuck her fingers underneath the base of her top before diagonally pulling it up at a painstakingly slow pace as the chorus played. Once she lifted her top over her head, the ginger twirled it round a few times before looking down (towards the gaping Beca at her side) and winking at her as she dropped it.

The second verse started and the slender girl turned to face the circle and started to slowly grind the air, her fingers tracing back down her body to unbutton her jeans at the front. Once she'd loosened them, and the chorus kicked back in, Chloe's fingers slid her jeans down her legs while she proceeded to rhythmically rotate her hips. In awe, Beca watched from the side-lines as she tried to prevent a grin from emerging on her lips.

The jeans were elegantly kicked to the side and Chloe was gliding her hands to the fastening for her navy bra as Stacie stopped the music.

"You're actually pretty good, Chlo. But you still have one more forfeit. I choose.. to ask you a question, should you accept?"

Huffing and tired of the game, the ginger replied, "Fine" as she sat half-naked on the floor.

"Tell us what you think about Beca. I mean what you reallyyy think about and feel towards her."

Cursing under her breath, Chloe glanced towards Beca and said quietly, "In all honesty, I love her to pieces."

Stacie rolled her eyes and sighed, "Seriously? All the giggling and secret conversations you two have and all you're going to say is that she's made it onto your list of besties?"

Beca and Chloe were sharing an intense conversation through their eye contact, with Chloe confirming her meaning of "love" in the appropriate context, and Beca's heart truly melting at the girl's confession.

"Yup," the ginger replied as she snapped her gaze back to the other girl before they could give anything much away.

Waving a hand, Stacie replied, "Whatever" as she stood up and announced that she was going to get some snacks to sober up the drunk-again and swaying Aubrey.

"Okay, we'll just get changed," Chloe chimed.

As Stacie left, Beca silently stood and walked into the en suite bathroom after picking up her black bag. Once alone, the brunette decided to confront the thoughts buzzing through her mind.. Chloe had just confessed her love (PROPER LOVE) to her.. Sure, they'd kissed a few times and been on a cute date, but they'd promised to just be friends and prevent complicating things.

However, this wasn't the problem on the brunette's mind.. She was left wondering why that unsatisfactory feeling she'd had in her gut when they'd agreed to just be friends was now seeping away. Was this it? Did she need to tell Chloe she returned the strong feelings? Would it potentially ruin everything if she held off on her confession until they were in a less.. uncomfortable and observable setting? If she admitted it, would Chloe want them to become official: to become PUBLIC to everyone (including her dad and classmates)?

 _Knock Knock_

Beca jumped as she was brought back from her spiralling worries and found herself grimacing at her reflection in the mirror as a soft voice spoke, "Beca, can I come in please?"

Sighing, Beca splashed some cold water on her face before taking a wipe to rub off her make-up as she walked to open the door. Chloe walked in and closed the door after her.

"Aubrey is in Stacie's bed starting to fall asleep and Stacie's talking to her parents downstairs." Chloe's tone was slightly higher in pitch than usual, indicating her nerves surrounding the brunette who (still silently) finished wiping her face bare. Chloe bit her bottom lip as her wide eyes skimmed over Beca's reflection as she sought for a sign of relief. Glancing at the taller girl, Beca noted that Chloe was wearing matching sky blue & white checked pyjamas in the style of a baggy (and mostly unbuttoned) shirt with sleeves she'd pushed to her elbows, and slightly baggy short-shorts which showed off her bare legs. She was still impressed at how every single outfit the ginger wore appeared to baffle her.

Knowing she was the reason for Chloe's discomfort (and not wanting to cause her beloved friend any harm), Beca strode over to Chloe and looked her dead in the eye. Her voice cracked and she cleared her dry throat, "I err.. Chlo, I love you too". As soon as she'd said the words her eyes and head dropped down as her feet shifted.

Chloe's right index finger (with the golden ring) and thumb came into view as they gently lifted the brunette's chin so that their eyes met again. A fire burning inside the taller girl surged and passionately escaped as she leaned forward and locked lips with Beca. It wasn't long before the two girls were combining their movements into unison and their tongues re-entered the territory they'd missed so dearly, albeit for only a couple of hours.

However, this kiss was different. Neither girl tried to lustfully pull the other further in. They simply communicated their passionate and pure love through their lips. Chloe's hand rested under Beca's chin and jawline as her thumb and finger caressed the soft skin lightly, and Beca's slender hands balanced on Chloe's hip bones as they protruded through the loosely draped and thin material of her shirt.

Reluctantly, both girls drew apart as they heard (presumably Stacie's) footsteps start to walk up the stairs. Smiling to a point of happiness which reached and crinkled around her bright eyes, and restored a deep happiness Beca hadn't even realised was missing, Chloe whispered, "I'll go and get the sofabed ready.. Join me when you're ready." And just like that, the ginger was gone, leaving a fruity scent behind her.

* * *

 **6 Minutes Later**

Having brushed her teeth, tied her disobedient hair into a loose ponytail, and changed into her pyjamas (a pair of baggy grey joggers/sweatpants and a slack, thin-fabric representing a wide necked t-shirt), the small brunette left the en suite. She dropped her bag by Chloe's, which had been moved to nearer the en suite door. Casually, she walked over to the assembled double sofabed and slipped under the thick duvet.

"You were meant to turn the light off, idiot," Stacie's voice joked as she swung her exposed legs off her bed and walked (in her lace nightgown) over to the light switch to turn it off. Aubrey softly snored for a few seconds before shifting her weight on Stacie's mattress and remaining silent. As Stacie turned off the light, Beca turned to focus her attention on the lump lying next to her. The ginger was curled as if she was asleep already, but as the brunette stroked down Chloe's uncovered forearm she felt a stir.

A glint shone in the ginger's wide eyes as she snuggled closer to the intense dark orbs staring back at her. Wrapping her arm around the small brunette, Chloe sleepily twisted the body to face away from her before then pulling them closer together into a spooning position. Chloe lifted her head and softly whispered in Beca's upward-facing ear, "Please let me hold you, we'll talk more tomorrow." With that, the ginger nibbled the smaller girl's earlobe and gently sucked on her neck for a minute or so before dropping her head to the pillow and starting to drift.

"Chlo?" the brunette sighed, to which the taller girl replied, "I love you, Becs".

"I love you too, weirdo."

The sound of three girls falling into deep sleep around her didn't quite serve as a good enough distraction to the girl who lay remaining awake in the dark. Was she exhausted? Yes. Had she misheard what the two girls on the sofabed had just whispered/spoken? Definitely not. With a gulp, Aubrey turned over to try and find a more comfortable position as her brain started to connect the dots with a look of remorse.


	15. I Thought The Little One Was Spicy!

**A/N Hey everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter and just a little heads-up.. If you don't already have Brittany Snow's dance techniques for Chloe, you may want to refresh your memory before reading; it could help with visualising ;)**

* * *

 **Saturday Mid-Morning**

Bleary-eyed, Beca woke with a soft yawn. She stretched her arms and fingers out above her head as if she were imitating the 'Ah Zabenya' moment of the lion king; an imaginary baby Simba in the space between her hands. She then extended her legs out from under the duvet and pointed her toes like a ballet professional. Bringing her hands as fists to her glazed orbs, the brunette rubbed her eyes and reopened them to focus on her surroundings. After turning her head and seeing that she was alone on the sofabed, she looked in the other direction to see a figure frozen and staring right at her.

Toiletries bag in one hand by her side, her other resting on her lips to hide the smile spreading across her face, Chloe watched the brunette finally notice her.

"How.. How long have you been stood there?" Beca croaked, slightly groggy.

"Umm," the ginger hummed playfully and pretended to count on her free hand, "Long enough to watch your adorable wake-up routine". This provoked a smile from the smaller girl before, scared, she quickly looked over to Stacie's bed.

"Don't worry," Chloe continued, "Stacie's downstairs having a shower and Aubrey.. She left really early.. before saying good bye.." The taller girl frowned slightly as her voice trailed off, subsequently shaking her head slightly and returning to her previously optimistic mood.

"So, what are we up to today?" She asked, excited at the thought of extended time with her 'friend'.

"Well," Beca propped herself up onto her elbows (unwittingly giving a relatively revealing view of her breasts - and nipples - through her thin t-shirt) to the ginger who was biting her lip hungrily, "I do believe you owe me the sound of your voice for my coursework."

Her eyes still glued on Beca's chest, Chloe replied slowly, "Good point.. Do you want us to get your keyboard.. and then head to mine to use the microphone, etc.." Towards the end of her reply, the ginger had drifted her gaze upwards to meet the smirk and raised eyebrow staring back at her.

"Sounds like a plan," Beca responded in a slightly lower, huskier voice. She chuckled as she saw the girl before her seem to tremble slightly & a blush spread across her cheeks.

Standing up, the brunette strode across to stand head-on (though a little shorter) to the ginger, "I thought it was no longer a sexual desire you had towards me.." She whispered, a smirk still playing at the edges of her lips.

"Since when did I specify it was YOU who made me feel that way.. You're just my sex slave," Chloe winked. She then abruptly pulled out her phone, scrolled through a list of something, and (smiling) tapped once. A song immediately started playing from her device, and she turned the volume to its loudest before tossing it behind Beca onto the sofabed.

As the beat started, Chloe softly pushed Beca back to sit next to her phone before positioning herself a few paces in front with her back to the brunette.

After the beat started to repeat itself 15 seconds in, the ginger moved her hands to the back of her neck (under her tight ponytail) and started to body roll. Each ripple down her body intertwined perfectly with the rhythm of the song ('Pony'). Lost for words, Beca simply sat - gaping - at the girl in front of her.

* * *

 **10 Seconds Later (0 Beca Breaths)**

The sound of Ginuwine's soft voice started and Chloe slowly brought her hands down her torso to pluck at her baggy pyjama shirt, her hips grinding the entire time. Her slim fingers were doing something at the front of the girl's shirt, however Beca wasn't fully aware of this. The smaller girl was focusing on Chloe's toned body from the waist down as it thrusted in time to the music.

Suddenly the chorus started up, and as the lyrics stated _"Let's do it, Ride it, My pony"_ the ginger's hands (each gripping a side of her shirt) pulled outwards. Eyes wide, Beca realised that Chloe had been unbuttoning her clothing. With a sexy glint in her sparkling orbs, the ginger made eye contact with the smaller girl as she started to drop her shirt off her shoulders. Noticing the lack of bra straps present, Beca gulped at the girl peering over her bare deltoids.

The shirt had dropped down to Chloe's elbows, revealing the top half of her smooth & curved back with her protruding shoulder blades. By the time the chorus had started for a second time, the checked fabric had slipped down to the girl's wrists. She let it slip off of one arm fully and twirled it with her other hand - lifting the spinning item of clothing from waist-level upwards to above her head before flinging it onto the floor across the room. Instead of bringing her outstretched arm back down, she bent it slightly at the elbow to allow her to link her index fingers together once she'd brought her other arm up. Her hips stopped grinding forwards as she tilted her upper body slightly forwards and changed her hips' movements to move her ass in smaller circles. Balancing on the balls of her feet Chloe started to rotate her body clockwise.

Before she knew it, Beca had found a voice and was exclaiming, "Wait!" Averting her eyes from the frozen girl's questioning stare, the brunette explained.

"What.. What if someone walks in?"

"They won't, Stacie takes AGES in the shower, and her parents are out."

"O- oh okay," Beca replied in a small voice.

"I can stop if you-"

"NO," the brunette exclaimed more dramatically than she'd intended. Chuckling, Chloe focused on the music to start her movements in time with the new song's beat.

As the Weeknd's chorus to 'Earned It' began, she brought her arms down slowly as she tilted her head up (eyes closed, lips parted) and stretched her hands vertically on her long, exposed neck. Completing a quarter-turn towards Beca, the gaping teenager realised that the only thing blocking the view of the ginger's breasts were her bent arms. She stayed in this position as she altered her hip movements throughout the rest of the song.

As the third steady beat introduced itself ('I Put A Spell On You'), Annie Lennox's powerful voice echoed in the otherwise-silent room. Hearing the lyrics, Beca quirked a brow at the smirking ginger as she proceeded to rotate in a clockwise direction:

 _"_ _I put a spell on you,_

 _Because you're mine._

 _You better stop the things you do,_

 _I tell ya I ain't lyin',_

 _I ain't lyin'…_

 _I put a spell on you,_

 _Because you're mine"._

The brunette froze as the chorus started up. However, she was no longer concentrating on the song. Chloe was facing her. The toned and topless body rippled and rocked. Her defined abs tensed as she danced and her muscular yet slim legs' flexed as she rolled onto the balls of her feet and back. After taking all of this in, Beca licked her dry lips with her sandpaper-like tongue. Slowly, her eyes drifted up the ginger's beautiful body to her breasts.

Despite their lack of support, they remained in a perky position. They looked as smooth (and perfectly sculpted) as the rest of Chloe's physique, if not more so. Simultaneously, they rose and fell rhythmically with the music and dancing. Her rosy nipples protruded from the soft mounds and set in the chilly air. Subconsciously brushing her forearm across one of her own breasts, Beca gasped at the equally hard miniature dune poking through her top. Shaking her head, the smaller girl returned to take in every possible inch of the ginger's exposed torso (including the small freckle just above her left breast) as the song came to an end.

Giggling, Chloe did a mock courtesy. However this only stunned Beca further as she watched the taller girl's breasts dip down towards the floor before rising once again. Standing up fully, the ginger bit her bottom lip and felt her hidden core pulse as she observed the smaller girl's solid nipples fight to make an appearance through the dark fabric. _What she would give for Beca to let her eyes see what lay beneath that t-shirt.._

"You guys better not be fucking on MY bed," a voice joked (oblivious) as footsteps got closer.

"Shit," both lustful girls muttered. Beca grabbed the ginger's phone and paused the music. While the brunette did that, Chloe leapt across the room (Beca's eyes secretly glued to her enchanting chest) to grab and fasten her shirt as she shrugged it on.

"Morning," Beca smiled (still blushing) at the tall girl as she entered the room. A towel far too small for her and barely covering Stacie's body clung to the glowing skin as another loosely hid her hair atop her head.

"Morninggg," Stacie replied as she navigated around the guilt-ridden ginger to get to her wardrobe. She then started to place an outfit on her bed. A minute's silence passed.

Abruptly, Stacie turned to look at her friends quizzically. She scanned both girls' faces before observing their attire and smirking.

"You happy about something, shortie?" The tall brunette teased, snapping Beca out of her daydream (or, more accurately, recollection) of Chloe's appearance only minutes ago.

"Hmm?" She responded, still dazed.

Giggling slightly, "You seem to have brought the 'party hats' out". Noticing the girl's blank expression in return, Stacie sighed and made a big show of making eye contact with Beca before looking downwards, grinning, and then looking back up. Copying the other girl, Beca looked down and her eyes widened. She murmured a "Jesus" as she acknowledged how much FURTHER her so-called 'party hats' were protruding after her remembrance of Chloe's breasts.

Before the atmosphere could get any more awkward (and amusing for Stacie) Chloe started to make an excuse about needing to brush her teeth and get changed as she started to make her way towards the en suite.

"Hey Chlo," the taller brunette yet again called out confidently - making eye contact through her mirror with the retreating girl - and smirked "You've mismatched your buttons on your.. Now inside-out shirt".

A blush spread across the ginger's cheeks like a flame to spilled petrol as she smiled weakly and backed into the bathroom.

"I know you didn't have sex," Stacie proceeded, "I'd be able to smell it". Beca wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Plus," the girl casually proceeded, "Chloe will want it to be special.. Seeing as she 'loves you to pieces' or whatever". Having finished moisturising, the tall girl started to apply mascara to her lashes. She paused to look over and saw the speechless and aghast look on Beca's face.

"Relax, shortie," the girl smiled sweetly, "Yours and Chloe's secret is safe with me.. I've basically known since that whole English class thing," she shrugged.

Clearing her throat, Beca pondered, "Was.. Was this sleepover just a pretence for you to find out the truth?"

Chuckling, Stacie replied, "No Beca.. This sleepover was my way of making sure you two knew that I see you both as close friends and that you can trust me".

"And of course to figure out if I still had a shot with you," the confident girl jokingly winked.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," Beca snorted and smiled back.

"No matter," Stacie shrugged back, "Tom's coming over soon to.. satisfy me".

"What err.. time do you need Chloe and I out?" the smaller girl nervously asked, definitely wanting to avoid a confrontation between the ginger and the boy.

"Well I'll need to get a couple of things ready after you're gone.. So, is in the next 45 minutes okay?"

Nodding perhaps a little too enthusiastically, Beca replied, "Yeah sure. Thanks for having me by the way. Your friends are cool."

"S'alright, just try to not break any of their hearts," Stacie said in a flippant tone, however had a more sincere message behind it. Understanding what the girl was looking for in a response, Beca nodded and (fully solemn) spoke, "I won't - I promise, Stace."

"What d'you promise?" the ginger cheerfully interjected as she skipped, fully dressed and gleaming, out of the en suite with her bag at her side.

"Umm-," Beca scrambled for a legitmate-seeming lie.

"She was promising to learn poker in time for our next sleepover," Stacie casually spoke up.

"Sounds good to me," Chloe responded. Before she could catch Beca out any further (or the mention of Tom turning up could come up), the smaller girl picked up her black bag and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

Once she'd closed the door, Beca realised the oblivious brunette could still mention something to Chloe. Hurriedly, the girl got dressed, forced her unruly hair into a messy bun and brushed her teeth. Sighing, she walked back into the bedroom.

Beca was relieved to hear Stacie disputing that "if she doesn't like stripping in poker next time, she'll just have to get good enough to win". Chloe huffed before looking over to the newcomer; as soon as she saw the intense eyes a smile spread across her face.

"Chlo, I hate to interrupt any.. riveting conversation going on," the smaller brunette carefully tried to word her sentence, "But if we're going to get enough recording time we should probably get going." _Smoothly done, Mitchell_. The brunette smirked inwardly at her dorky pride as the ginger nodded and stood with her phone and overnight bag.

"Thanks for having us, Stace," Chloe sang as her and Beca left the bedroom. With their shoes on, the two girls chatted happily as they set off - no Tom in sight.

* * *

 **90 Minutes Later**

Keyboard in its slender black case and strapped onto the smaller girl's back, the two teenagers cheerfully conversed as they made the journey from Beca's house (where she'd dropped her overnight bag off and grabbed her keyboard, coursework notes & headphones) to Chloe's. Observing how happy her friend was, the small girl realised how truly glad she was that her and Chloe had needed to leave Stacie's as it spared a potentially harmful confrontation for the ginger.

"What is it?" the taller girl interrupted the brunette's thoughts and she blinked herself back to reality.

"Hmm..?"

"You were looking at me.. weirdly," Chloe responded, "Kind of like a proud parent or something."

Chuckling, Beca replied, "If I'm your parent then that makes me SO much more fucked-up than I realised."

Giggling, the two girls rounded the corner onto a quiet cul-de-sac. Chloe stopped and faced one of the houses as she saluted it and announced, "Welcome, to my humble abode". The cream house had ivy snaking across its front and a small front garden with a hedge around the borders. A narrow path led from the evergreen front gate up to the door. The hostess unhooked the waist-height gate and led the way up to the building. As the ginger fetched her keys out of her pocket, Beca looked down at the ground and chuckled as she noticed a small toy truck mixed into the cemented mosaic pattern beneath their feet.

"None of us actually know how Ethan's toy got into the cement mix," Chloe mused after realising what had caught the other girl's eye.

"I like it.. It adds feeling to the place," Beca smiled genuinely as she made eye contact with the girl.

After a minute or so of gazing into one another's eyes, Chloe snapped herself out of the cliché and opened the dark oak front door. They were greeted with a daylight-yellow hallway and a blast of warmth upon entering. The ginger kicked her shoes off onto a shoe rack opposite the door and Beca did the same, placing hers next to rather than on it. With wondrous eyes, she then looked at the walls surrounding her in the thin hallway.

A combination of both framed and unframed artwork hung, the sunlight-coloured walls appearing to bounce rays onto the works. Beca observed a couple of framed pieces which she'd seen on a school trip to the Tate, however these weren't what caught her eye. The remainder of the artwork ranged marginally in what was being depicted with the exception of the signature scrawled in the bottom right-hand corner: _'A. Beale'._ The brunette recalled how Chloe had said that her mother had been an artist, and this was most likely her work. Her beautiful, eloquent, mesmerising work.. _Much like her daughter_ , Beca thought before continuing to look at all of the illustrations.

"Do you like them?" a deep voice asked from further down the hallway.

"They're incredible," Beca responded in a hushed voice before looking to see the source of the question. A tall, well-built man stood in the doorway to what looked like a kitchen. He had short ginger hair and a matching beard which clung to his defined jawline as he smiled.

"Thank you, Alice would love to know her artwork goes appreciated," he grinned cheekily and raised his voice a little as he ended his sentence. Chloe reappeared as she walked down the stairs to stand by Beca and (in mock anger) replied, "I do appreciate her art! I just don't gape at it every time I walk around the house". Hearing this, the brunette realised her mouth was partially ajar and corrected herself.

The father and daughter were having a pretend fight, glaring at one another (though the area around their eyes crinkled to indicate their true feelings). Breaking the silence, Chloe asked, "Where are the boys?"

"Ethan's at Oscar's playing video games probably, and Charlie's in the garden putting sand in his hair.. and anywhere but where it should stay."

Chloe made a questioning look.

"Oh yeah," the man (excited) lit up, "Charlie bought a small sand pit with his birthday money!" Beca thought the enthusiasm in the man's pale green eyes was endearing, and looked to see his daughter laugh at the news.

"He does realise sand won't reappear in the pit if he throws it all out, right?" She joked back.

Playfully sighing and shaking his head, her father replied, "I tried to warn him, but he just won't listen.. Anyway, what are you two planning to get up to?" He eyed the black case on Beca's back.

"Actually Dad," Chloe chimed, "I was wondering if we could record some music stuff for Beca's coursework?"

"Yeah sure, the microphone will need setting up but other than that it should work a charm, even with your voice," He grinned again at his daughter.

"By the way," the man outstretched a hand toward the brunette, "I'm Mike, and it's nice to finally meet the famous 'Beca'." Accepting the gesture, the teenager timidly shook his hand and offered a greeting in return. The two girls then ascended the stairs as he went back to supervising the overexcited and squealing boy in the back garden.

Beca followed Chloe past several closed doors and then into a dark room. It appeared to have sound-proofed walls, which the brunette admired as she entered and closed the door behind her. On one edge of the room there was an assortment of keyboards ranging in size along with synths and some decks stacked on a rack. The remainder of the square room seemed to be split in two: a desk with a desktop (and 2 large monitors) acted as a divide. Chloe edged between the desk's edge and the rack of instruments to the far side. She then started to set up a microphone and dampener onto a stand, Beca admiring the girl's exterior as she bent to pick up various pieces from their case.

The ginger abruptly turned and, smirking, said, "When you're done perving do you want to turn the computer on? You can set your keyboard up on the desk". Beca obeyed and focused on keeping her eyes on anything but the ginger. She then uttered a reply, "I think you should be honoured.. the 'famous Beca' was perving at you; that's like royalty".

"Shut up," Chloe sighed (slightly because she couldn't think of a reply and slightly because she could feel her embarrassment spread across her face).

As the computer silently woke up and started to load up Beca's recorded coursework from her memory stick, the brunette put her headphones round her neck and felt herself get lost in the music. Adjusting her headphones to fit comfortably on her head after having undone her bun to let her hair fall naturally over her shoulders, the brunette closed her eyes and tapped her foot under the desk as she listened through her mix so far. After tweaking a millisecond worth of her perfected composition, Beca removed her headphones to communicate the patient girl standing before her. Chloe had set up the microphone, positioned a dampener and had a music stand adjusted next to her with Emily's song notes laid out. In her slender hands she held a pair of headphones which were connected to the desktop via a long cord. She watched as Beca (slightly flushed from her previous concentration) switched to an empty track to record and adjusted it to connect to the microphone rather than her keyboard.

Breathing deeply, the nervous girl looked at the ginger, "Are you ready? We'll do a couple of takes, then I'll add the bass layer accordingly I think. Or maybe I should ju-"

"Beca, breathe," Chloe's comforting voice interrupted the brunette's concerned ramble and she looked up to see twinkling blue eyes and a dazzling smile focused on her.

Nodding in response and taking a few breaths, Beca used her fingers to count Chloe in before hitting record and sitting silently. Emily's lyrics danced in the air and ricocheted off of the walls as they left the ginger's vibrating throat. Her melody hung in the air above the girls before drifting down and swallowing Beca into a trance. She was surrounded by the beauty of the words leaving the beauty of Chloe's mouth. The taller girl felt like her lungs were going to explode as she sang with all of her heart and butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She loved the song almost as much as she loved the girl gazing at her in awe.

Once she'd finished performing, Chloe cleared her throat and waited expectantly as Beca played it back through her headphones, frowning slightly. Huffing a little, the brunette started clicking the adjustments and settings for the track after deleting the recording.

"Sorry," she muttered, "I messed up the settings a bit. Would it be okay to go again. Your build-up and.. everything was perfect though."

Nodding and getting her head back into the zone, Chloe took a sip of water from the glass she'd placed on the desk earlier as Beca counted her in again. Letting the lyrics envelope her fully, the ginger glanced at the pages of musical notes and writing before closing her eyes. Then, she opened her mouth and the words poured out as Beca's light mix played through her headphones.

"When tomorrow comes

I'll be on my own,

Feeling frightened of

The things that I don't know.

When tomorrow comes,

Tomorrow comes.

Tomorrow comes".

She took a quick and somewhat shallow breath to refill her lungs.

"And though the road is long,

I look up to the sky

And in the dark I found

Lost hope that I won't fly,

And I sing along,

I sing along,

And I sing along".

At the end of both verses Chloe had increased her pitch to the highest her lung capacity and vibrating vocal chords could muster for the repetitions. Next came the chorus:

"I got all I need when I got you

And I, look around me and see a sweet life.

I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight,

You're getting me,

Getting me,

Through the night.

Kickstart my heart when you shine it in my eyes,

Can't lie, it's a sweet life.

Stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight,

You're getting me,

Getting me,

Through the night.

'Cause you're my flashlight,

You're my flashlight,

You're my flashlight".

Chloe again increased her key upwards at the end of segments of the chorus, especially while repeating _"you're my flashlight"_ three times. At the 2 minutes 50 seconds mark, the ginger started on the sequence of high-pitched _"ooh"_ s in her silky voice. Once the song had ended the taller girl stood, her hands on her hips, panting slightly as she stared intensely at the brunette furrowing her brow above her closed eyes. After she'd finished listening, Beca shone her dark orbs and unwittingly shouted due to still wearing her headphones, "Chlo that was.. So, so, spectacular." Grinning, the girl was about to reply but stopped herself as she saw the brunette's concentration back on the composition.

Closing her eyes again, Beca played the track after starting to record her keyboard's attached synth. Her nimble fingers started to tap; their movements have smaller intervals as the song began to build. Finishing this, the brunette replayed the track with only the vocals and her synth recording to clarify the timing was alright before listening to it all. Something was still missing..

"What's wrong?" a muffled voice made it through her headphones and, removing them, Beca turned to face the voice.

"Umm.. I'm not sure.. It feels like it's missing something. Here," she offered her headphones to the ginger, "Listen through these, it picks up a lot." Diligently, Chloe walked around the desk and put the accessory on before Beca played the combined track through again. The taller girl stood, her right index finger with the ring tapping to the beat against her leg as her eyes narrowed and she bit her bottom lip in attentiveness. Once the song had ended, she removed the headphones and looked down at the adorably conflicted face.

"It's really good, Becs," Chloe reassured, "But I get what you mean.. I have an idea."

"What is it?" the brunette enthusiastically chirped.

"What's your singing voice like?" Beca groaned at this question and felt like she knew what was coming next as the ginger spoke.

"I feel like, if you add some other vocals (preferably slightly lower maybe) to the track at the end of each verse and chorus.. Like the repetition bit, then it might add the depth you're wanting." Nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Chloe scanned the smaller girl's face. She had never heard Beca sing and didn't know if this was a big/potentially disastrous suggestion. However, the coursework was due in 2 days and they had the recording equipment set up already. _It couldn't hurt to try.. Right?_

Dejectedly, Beca stood and walked around the desk to stand where Chloe had only minutes ago. She gestured to the water and asked, "Do you mind?" to which the ginger shook her head and smiled before sitting down at the desk and putting the smaller girl's headphones back on. She luckily didn't have to adjust them, and patiently waited until Beca was ready to be counted in. Sighing, the awkward girl nodded. The track started playing while also recording a second vocals slot.

As it got to the first of the three _"tomorrow comes"_ lines Beca opened her mouth and sang. Her alto tone hummed through the air and pounded on Chloe's fast-beating heart. The brunette's voice was low but wasn't groggy. It was husky but wasn't rugged. It was.. something else.

Completely spellbound, the ginger sat with her perfect posture and motionless mind as she waited for Beca to sing again when it got to the second verse's three _"I sing along"_ lines. And then she heard it again. It was as if her heart wasn't just thumping in her chest but trying to break free. As the chorus hit, Beca softly purred in unison with Chloe's pre-recorded voice. Appearing to have gained a little more confidence (or perhaps she was just lost in the words, the ginger contemplated), the smaller girl started to add _"ooh"_ s to the background of the third verse before joining in again at the chorus. While Chloe's pre-recorded solo of _"ooh"_ s played, Beca caught her breath before continuing to layer hums of _"light, light, light"_ over the final lines of the song. For the final line, she stayed silent - secretly hoping this choice would be effective.

Having finished recording, she looked over at Chloe who sat still, an expression of utter worship plastered across her wide-eyed and grinning face.

"Dude, it's just singing," Beca brushed off as she removed the headphones by the microphone and walked back to the computer. Still speechless (and revelling in the brunette's sexy modesty), Chloe silently offered Beca her headphones. Accepting them, the smaller girl hunched over the desk to set the compilation to play.

This time, she didn't frown in frustration or close her eyes to focus on faults. This time, Beca tapped her foot and nodded her head to the creation. This time, a small smile crept onto her lips as she realised they'd managed it.

She saved her work to her memory stick and made a copy as a finalised mp3 track to hand to her teacher. Lifting her slim fingers from the desk, Beca turned towards the mesmerised ginger and skipped her way lightly down the high cheekbones and defined jawline. A gasp escaped from Chloe's throat as a thumb brushed her supple lips.

Without a word, Beca slid herself onto the other girl's lap and straddled her. Using her hands' position around the ginger's face she leaned in and gently tugged at Chloe's lips with her own. Responding to this, the taller girl started to move her tongue into Beca's mouth as she sighed into the kiss appreciatively. Chloe moved her hands to grasp the brunette's ass and pull her in closer as their tongues danced together and the kiss became more urgent. Beca's body got the hint and started to grind on Chloe's pelvic region as she uttered a low moan. Releasing their lips, the brunette started to kiss, nip and suck at the ginger's jawline. A louder groan crawled from the taller girl's throat and Beca increased the pressure of her sucking as she moved to the base of Chloe's jawline and its connection to her long neck. Staying at each spot for several minutes before descending slightly further, the smaller girl took pleasure in her effect on the writhing girl beneath her.

After working her way down the right-hand side of the ginger's neck, Beca felt a slender hand grip the base of neck and pull her further into the kiss she was planting on Chloe's exposed collarbone. Between pants the flushed girl whispered, "I.. fucking.. love.. you.. Becs" before moaning loudly. Chuckling slightly, the brunette replied, "Love you too, weirdo" before proceeding to silently slurp at the protruding collarbone. As she added a light bite to her movements Chloe whimpered and arched her back into the collision of the other girl's mouth with her skin and bone.

The left hand, which had remained resting on Beca's ass swiftly moved up slightly before her fingers slid under where the brunette's jeans slacked at the back. Feeling the other girl's hand slowly sneak under her clothes Beca briefly looked up to the slightly concerned ginger and nodded, then returned to tending to a more outer section of Chloe's collarbone. As she did this, the smaller girl traced her fingers down the girl's torso above her slightly baggy turquoise shirt she wore. Once she got to the ginger's waist, Beca dipped her hand beneath the shirt and started to work her way up to its intended destination. Even with her lacy bra, Chloe's erect nipple tingled as the smaller girl tentatively squeezed and caressed the breast; her fingertips massaging the uncovered skin rising from the bra with every ragged breath.

Having finished on the girl's right collarbone, Beca's lips instinctively started to peck and nibble across Chloe's chest as her hand which had remained against the ginger's cheek instead started to unbutton the turquoise blouse. Once all the pearl-white buttons were unfastened, the brunette raised herself slightly to lift the shirt from its owner and toss it aside. Hungrily, the girl didn't hesitate to sink back down and use her mouth to obtain supportive groans from Chloe as she moved onto one of her smooth breasts. The brunette's slender fingers reached behind the taller girl's arched back and expertly undid the lacy bra. Too impatient to stop however, Beca simply slid the straps down the other teenager's upper arms and, in doing so, freed her breasts fully. Her left hand returned to massaging Chloe's right breast as her mouth lustfully licked and pulled at the other. As she bruised the silky skin surrounding the small freckle on the left breast, Beca followed the moans of encouragement and licked the ginger's hardened nipple. She then softly clamped it between her teeth and gave a little tug. A throaty growl travelled from the seduced girl's throat and got louder as the brunette proceeded to shoot sensations through the exposed and sensitive breasts. After swapping to peck and nibble at the other perky breast, Beca noticed her hand sneaking towards Chloe's core. Her hips still grinded on the ginger - gaining the occasional buck in return - however she thirsted for more.

Chloe quivered at the soft touch of Beca's fingertips tracing and circling their way from her prominent hip bones down towards her bikini line region to poke an inch under her waistband teasingly before repeating the motion. The ginger's hips thrusted independently and she curved her spine even further as the brunette tended to her breasts with the other hand and her expert mouth simultaneously.

 _Ring Ring_

Both girls jumped as the sudden dial ringtone interrupted the building atmosphere. Grumbling, Beca started to pull back and reach for her phone on the desk as a small voice spoke softly, "Why not leave it?"

"I wish I could," the brunette dismally responded, "But it's my dad". With that, she answered the phone and (irritably) spoke.

"Yes, Dad?"

An inaudible voice sounded through the phone and Beca rolled her eyes.

"We're still finalising some stuff.."

The inaudible noise appeared to get louder.

"Sorry, I forgot. Okay, I'll pack up and start walking."

Sighing, Beca put her phone back on the desk and stood up. She picked up and passed Chloe her blouse before answering, "My dad's co-worker and his wife are coming over for dinner. I have to be there to look presentable and laugh at all of their misogynistic remarks."

Chloe pouted indignantly and frowned.

"I'm really sorry, if I could get out of it I would," Beca continued as she unplugged her memory stick and put it (with her headphones) in a compartment of the keyboard case before disconnecting the instrument and sliding it in too.

"It's not your fault," Chloe sighed as she stood and moved to get the brunette her music notes, "I just wish we'd stop being interrupted".

Once Beca had fastened her bag with everything in it to her back she smiled and brought the ginger into a hug, tightening her grip on Chloe's waist as she followed it up with a peck on the lips. The embrace sadly didn't last long as the taller girl broke it up to disappointedly whisper, "Sorry, Becs, but I don't want you to get into trouble".

The two girls then walked down the stairs and said a less intimate good bye in the hallway before the brunette set off home.

* * *

 **2 Hours Later**

 _Beca: Save meeeee!_

 _Chloe: I thought you were meant to slay the dragon and save ME, not the other way around.. ;)_

 _Beca: Okay since when am I the prince.. You calling me butch, Beale?_

 _Chloe: Actually I'm calling you my hero ;)_

 _Beca: Hmm.. You're forgiven if you compliment me a lil bit more ;)_

 _Chloe: My saviour? My one true love? My Prince(ss) Charming? Need I say more..?_

 _Beca: I'd love it if you did, but your compliments are making me smile too much and I'm trying to be stealthy among the adults._

 _Chloe: Ooh how's it going? Judging by your message imma guess bad_

 _Beca: BINGO! My dad spent 15 minutes pretending to explain my lifelong aspiration of pursuing academia like him and my mum have.. To which the other man looked me up and down and said (WINKING) that the hospital could do with some nurses that don't appear to diminish the vending machines._

 _Chloe: Eww gross.. Want me to turn up in a naughty nurse outfit and smack him one? ;)_

 _Beca: As much as I would love that (especially the outfit idea..) now probably isn't the right time._

 _Beca: Shit my dad's seen me I think. I gotta go, night Chlo._

 _Chloe: Hang in there babe, I'll await your future message!_

The pet name sent warms shivers down Beca's spine as she locked her phone and put it back into her pocket. Benjamin removed his steely glare to return to the conversation with his friend as their two wives chatted about recipes and the different yogalates instructors they'd had. _God, why are these adults so boring.._ Beca thought gloomily before worry struck her in the form of thinking: _Wait, am I going to be like this one day?!_ She shook her head slightly to clear the concern and reassured herself that she'd become a serial killer to liven up her personality if she found herself dangerously drifting down such a boring middle-class path.

The evening proceeded to drag and their guests left late. Before her dad could argue with her for arriving back home tardily or for being on her phone, Beca sprinted up the stairs and into her bedroom. There, she looked at the clock and was amazed to see how tired she was. She'd wanted to chat to Chloe more before bed but found her heavy eyelids drooping and breathing get deeper as she lay on her bed. Within minutes, the exhausted teenager was asleep on top of her covers as notifications illuminated the phone screen in her hand.


	16. It's Not What It Looks Like

**A/N Thanks for the support, I hope you're all enjoying how the narrative is shaping up to be!**

* * *

 **Monday Morning (Prior To Registration)**

As she heard the familiar cheerful bounce of blue suede boots stride through the corridor outside, Beca put her book ('War and Peace', Tolstoy) down on the desk and awaited the familiar ginger's entrance to the tutor room. The brunette had grown to enjoy the early mornings, solely because she and Chloe could chat contentedly. They had arranged to try and get there before the class was full of possible eaves-droppers and indignant students.

Chloe entered and walked past the few quiet classmates present who were completing due homework. She headed to the smaller girl sat at their table in the back and slid into her chair.

"This is.. a new look," Beca mused, focusing on the ginger's tight-fitting stripy regal blue and black turtleneck, "I like it, it shows off your figure AND jawline". Smiling at the compliment, Chloe turned to face the brunette. In a swift movement, one slender hand swept aside her hair from the right-hand side of her neck as the other pulled down the turtleneck. Laughing at the other girl's wide eyes examine her bruised neck, Chloe pulled the stretchy fabric further to display how the marks descended both outwards across her collarbone and down her chest.

"It also doesn't show off these," she replied, before adding, "You're really good by the way.." The taller girl bit her lip as she skimmed over the other girl's exposed skin emerging from her skin-tight navy vest top which ended just over her black skinnies' waistline. Hearing voices of a few more classmates enter the room; Chloe hurriedly placed her top and hair back in their original location.

"Your skin isn't as pale as mine.. I didn't think it would be THAT sensitive.. It's also been TWO days," Beca whispered. Chuckling, Chloe replied, "Yeah, people with freckles and ginger hair are basically the equivalent to ghosts like you". Clear worry still etched across the brunette's face, the taller girl proceeded to offer reassurance, "Don't worry, Becs. My hair being down and wearing this top will keep it covered."

"Chloe," a husky voice breathed, "Lessons one and two today are being dedicated to sports awareness for all year 12 students.. with visitors coming in. That means you're going to have to wear your white polo AND tie your hair up, seeing as the teachers won't want us to represent the school messily or whatever. There's also no way they'll will let you not participate; you'd be forced to wear lost-property kit if need be." Horror dawned on the ginger's face and a crimson blush seeped from her face to her covered neck.

"Oh, fuck," the shocked girl breathed.

* * *

 **15 Minutes Later**

Having collected their sports kits from their lockers, the two girls quietly started to walk towards the sports hall. Beca wished she could assure Chloe somehow, but she couldn't. After the rumours which had spread the previous week people were bound to connect the dots and that would be that: social suicide at Barden for the couple.

"Hey guys, wait for me," a female voice chirped from behind. Seconds later Stacie had joined them and noticed something was wrong; Chloe looked as if her glossy blue eyes were going to spill a waterfall of tears and Beca's mouth had formed a grim line.

"What's wrong?" The ginger didn't answer (still unaware that the taller brunette knew about hers and Beca's feelings towards one another). Dejected, Beca answered with the truth, "I err.. left some.. m- marks on Chloe.. and everyone's going to see them at this sports thing.." Turning to look at the bewildered girl next to her, Beca explained, "Chlo, Stacie knows about us. She's not going to tell anyone anything though, right?" She shifted her expression to the other brunette who nodded sincerely and answered, "Don't worry, you guys are my friends and I'm not going to hurt you". Chloe let out a deep breath and smiled in thanks, still speechless about her looming fate.

Tutting in a light-hearted manner, Stacie grinned briefly before speaking in a serious voice, "Okay I'm going to help you out: you have two options that I can think of right now. One is that we put a shitload of my foundation on these.. 'marks' (or as I'm guessing, you mean hickies), and hope they don't rub off. If they're concentrated more on one side then also do a side plait to cover it more. The other option is that I 'accidentally' slut-shame you for getting off with a MALE bartender at the weekend. Your choice."

Pausing to contemplate the options, Chloe slowly replied, "I think the first option, and if it gets uncovered tons then you do the slut-shaming.. But ONLY when I say so (I'll cue you)". Nodding, Stacie picked up the slowed pace and enthusiastically spoke, "Let's get to work then!"

* * *

The three girls chose to go in the changing room which was always freezing in the morning, and tended to be empty. Relieved at their privacy, the three girls changed quickly into their matching white polo shirts & black lyrcra skorts. Having caught a glance at the ginger's chest-neck region (including bruises emerging from her bra) the taller brunette giggled and remarked, "Jesus shortie, you know how to have fun". Beca blushed at this and brushed the comment away with a shrug, "It's not what it looks like". Obviously, it was EXACTLY what it looked like.

The two brunettes tied their hair into ponytails as Chloe set about twisting her fiery waves into a side plait over her right shoulder. Once they'd all done this, Stacie sat beside the ginger on a bench and started to apply her moderately pale foundation to the girl's neck.

"If you sweat, it's gonna fuck up," Stacie warned, "Hopefully we three won't be split up and if Beca or I notice anything we'll make excuses to come back here and re-apply. Also, if you rub your neck with your shirt or hand it'll not only uncover an amount of the hickies but will also highlight the blotchy make-up. You don't want that because then people will notice this and assume that you're covered in them, which," she chuckled slightly, "you kind of are".

"The only good thing out of this situation," she ensued, "Is that Beca stayed to one side of your neck only. Was that intentional?" She turned to look at the awkward brunette stood a few paces away.

"Err.. no. We actually were interrupted before-"

"No need for deets, I get the actually kinda sexy picture by just looking at you two in your hot and steamy romance," Stacie interrupted as she pretended to throw up and laughed. As Stacie finished tending to Chloe's neck, a whistle sounded from outside the changing rooms and the three girls slipped on their trainers (navy for Beca, electric blue for Chloe, and purple for Stacie) before sprinting outside.

* * *

 **30 Minutes Later**

After a long talk given by a couple of overly-enthusiastic and patronising sports representatives from a company Beca had immediately discarded the name of had been given to the crowd of solemn teenagers about healthy eating and regular exercise, they were split accordingly by gender. Only half of the year group were participating during lessons 1 & 2, and the other half had to after break for lessons 3 & 4\. In this session, the girls were split into four smaller groups of ten to create a rotation format between sports. Luckily, the students had been allowed to choose their groups and the trio of nervous girls stuck together like glue.

Their first sport was to play a game of rounder's. Chloe & Beca had been placed in the team to 'field' first while Stacie was in the team to 'bat'. Beca chose to stand at the first base as she was okay at throwing and catching. Chloe, with her longer legs stood a couple of metres behind the brunette in a free space where she could run to get the ball if it was hit in her direction. As the game continued, the ginger found herself in a relatively easy-going position with only left-handed batters hitting the ball her way, and Beca never missing a catch. She relaxed a little and felt relieved that perhaps their secret was going to be safe.

Then, it was time for the teams to switch. Both Beca and Chloe grabbed a bat and waited in line patiently. Stacie was bowling, and as she released the spinning ball from her grip it flew through the air only to be knocked back by the first batter. As the ginger readied herself to hit, Stacie took a deep breath and threw the ball as hard as she could in a top spin. It curved in an almost impossible angle and Chloe missed. At first, she looked angrily at the bowler for being unfair. However as she jogged to the first post on the pitch she realised why Stacie had appeared to be so cruel: if she'd done a normal/nice throw, Chloe would have most likely hit it quite far, which would require her to run her fastest around the pitch and (in doing so) sweat profusely.. _Damn, that was clever_ , the ginger concluded.

Their group's next sport was badminton. This was based within the stuffy sports hall where wind couldn't interfere with the matches. The girls were asked to pair up and Chloe chose Beca. As they played against other classmates, the ginger couldn't help but admire the smaller girl's immediate reflexes and natural speed on the court. The brunette's talent allowed Chloe to yet again do little movement and avoid breaking into a sweat - even if it meant the smaller girl was left exhausted and panting after each match.

The third (and final) task was back outside; playing netball. The two brunettes had been placed on the same team (Stacie as goal defence at one end of the court and Beca as goal shoot on the other). Annoyingly, Chloe had been put in the position of centre, which required the most movement. Any other day, the ginger would have loved the opportunity to show off to Beca as she spun and shot the ball with precision between teammates and danced from one side of the court to the other. But not this time. As her team scored its first point and she jogged back to the middle of the court with the ball in one hand, Chloe found herself subconsciously wiping sweat (and make-up) from her neck.. _Shit._ She couldn't leave however, seeing as there weren't any extra players and she was a key component to the game. Nervously, the ginger's eyes darted around for comfort from her friends but both were preoccupied. Stacie was flirting with the blonde girl next to her and Beca was looking bored as she daydreamed while her team lost. _Fuck it!_ Chloe thought as she pushed her plait closer to her neck and prepared to play on. The game ended roughly fifteen minutes later, by which time all of the girls were a heated mess.

Slowly, they walked back to the sports hall for another talk from the sports representatives. Their speech on sports/exercise importance & awareness with the lead-up of exams felt like it lasted forever as beads of sweat glistened on Chloe's smooth arms and face as well as her blotchy-looking neck. Once the 25 minutes was up, their teachers allowed the students to depart and get changed, the ginger stood and almost sprinted to the changing room before anyone could see the foundation staining her polo shirt as it dripped from her neck.

"Hey, is she okay?" a sweaty brunette boy asked Beca as they both watched the girl disappear.

"Yeah, she's fine. It's not what it looks like," the smaller girl replied as she moved her eyes to look at the boy and realised who it was, her mouth gaping a little before realising this and correcting itself.

"Okay, good. I'm Tom by the way, I think we have English together?" his smile was kind and lop-sided in a typical 'cute-boy' way. Offering a forced smile, Beca replied, "Yeah I think we do, I'm Beca". Nodding in return, the boy started to jog to his changing room as Stacie strolled over to the frozen girl.

"That's Tom," she grinned. Beca monotonously replied, "I know" before they both made their way out of the dissipating crowd.

* * *

"That was close," Stacie grinned at their achievement as she and Beca walked into the changing room after their friend. Chloe had removed her shirt and was using a make-up removal wipe to scrub the more stubborn layer of foundation from her skin. Stopped in her tracks, Beca breathed out slowly as she watched the ginger's shoulder blades and upper back muscles flex. Her eyes thirstily travelled down to Chloe's long legs emerging from her potentially-too-small black skort, which consequently hugged her curved ass.

"Come on, shortie," Stacie tugged at the smaller girl's wrist for the brunette to follow her to where their clothes were, "You can fuck her another time".

The three girls chatted happily as they changed, Beca frequently averting her eyes to the ground as the other two stripped. Her eyes found it especially difficult to obey with Chloe though because she could feel herself being pulled towards the glowing and exposed skin. However, furrowing her brow in determination, she persisted and, eventually, succeeded. It was because of her deep concentration that Beca missed the frequent glances Chloe's eyes were conducting as the smaller girl changed. Stacie didn't miss this, however thought it best to keep it to herself and inwardly smiled.

As they all left the changing room, the trio decided to spend lunch together sat on a bench outside. It was nice to chat without worries, and Stacie secretly used this opportunity to reinforce the genuine trust her two friends could have in her. Just before the bell went, Beca remembered a question that had been emerging in her thoughts since the sleepover.

"By the way, what did you mean Chlo when you said at the sleepover that Stacie knew it wasn't your first kiss with a girl?" Chloe didn't answer and looked down at her fingers as they intertwined into an uncomfortable position. Seeing the failure of response from the ginger, Beca turned to face the taller brunette - she was hesitating. Instead of answering the question, Stacie reached out and put a comforting hand on top of Chloe's before whispering, "It's best you tell her, she won't mind". The tallest girl smiled at the confused girl waiting for an answer before lifting herself into the air and saying, "I'll see you two in English!" as she walked away. The bell for third lesson interrupted the awkward silence and the two remaining girls made their way slowly to third lesson.

* * *

"Because your coursework is due today," the voice hushed the students as they took their seats around the classroom, "I'm going to take it in, check there aren't any problems with the mp3 file you've given me and then you're free to do as you please!"

Chloe was first to be reviewed however seeing as she'd finished the compositional coursework at her previous school the teacher had already seen it. As the next person went up, Chloe finally spoke in a hushed whisper, "I'll tell you after you've given in your coursework". Nodding, Beca turned her attention towards the clock and counted down the three-minute slots with each student in the register before her name was called. As soon as it was, she leapt up and marched with her memory stick to the front of the room. Her teacher smiled and plugged it in before selecting the mp3 file to play through her headphones. Checking that the song was playing alright and that it didn't exceed the maximum time limit, she made a copy of the file and handed the memory stick back to Beca.

"Well done," she praised the student, who curtly nodded and gave thanks before walking back to her friend, who was already stood and waiting. They walked outside and Chloe led the way to a bench under a tree on the outskirts of the deserted playground. Behind them, small children chased one another in the primary school and Beca chuckled slightly as she watched through the meshed fence.

"So," Chloe started and the brunette snapped her attention back to the girl next to her, "When you turn fourteen you can do this crash course driving thing, where you basically get a feel for being behind the wheel without the danger of being on roads because it's all at a test centre. As a birthday present from my grandparents', they offered some money for me to try it out. I went along and had a couple of lessons with this nice instructor - Amelia. She was in her early-mid 20s and had a cool Celtic tattoo behind her neck going all the way down to her elbow of the adjoining arm. Me, being an impressionable fourteen year old, thought it was awesome that she smoked and swore openly," Chloe chuckled darkly, "Anyway, on my fourth lesson she instructed me to head out of the test centre and down this side lane. I'd never seen anyone else do this route, but dismissed it as perhaps being an advanced thing. She told me to pull over, so I did into a layby. I looked over at her," the ginger frowned as she recalled, "and she just leaned in and kissed me. At first I was frozen in shock because she was this adult who I'd trusted and also they were a female, which I'd thought was wrong for me anyway at that point.. I fancied Leonardo DiCaprio after all! After a while," she continued nonplussed, "I seemed to wake up from the trance and pushed her away. She stopped and looked at me with a scared expression. That's when I realised that I had tears ran down my face. Amelia apologised, explained that it was a misunderstanding and she'd been misled due to some relationship stuff she'd been going through. I eventually calmed down and agreed to not tell anyone (at this point I think I agreed to that more because I just wanted to get away from the situation and never think about it again). She drove me back to the test centre where I met my dad and told him I didn't think driving was for me. Since then, any time I imagine being behind a wheel I just remember how betrayed I'd felt. It wasn't forceful and I'm not affected by it now.. I just wasn't ready for my first kiss, if that makes sense?"

Beca reached her hand up to turn the ginger's sullen face towards hers as she softly replied, "I'm sorry you've been hurt by so many things in your life, and that you have to battle through constant fears every single day. But I want you to know that I don't blame you for any of it. You're an incredible person, Chloe, who deserves nothing but the best in my opinion, and that's why I love you so much." A thankful tear leaked from the bright blue eyes, and the brunette calmly brushed it away before pulling the taller girl into a tight embrace. She felt Chloe's rising and falling chest slow in pace and her voice clear as she whispered into Beca's neck: "I love you too, weirdo."

As they walked towards the library for their typical free with Jesse, Chloe smiled and pondered, "You know, now that you know and don't care I don't think I need to either. That was all I've ever worried about: that I'd explain my first kiss to someone I liked and they'd judge me for it". The brunette smiled and found herself wishing so strongly to be able to hold Chloe's hand in public. Instead, she settled for holding loosely around the girl's wrist as she pretended to 'reluctantly drag' the ginger through the school.

* * *

 **20 Minutes Later**

"Howdy, y'all," Jesse called as he entered the group's adopted study corner. The two girls (back to their positive ways) jumped and quickly unlaced their fingers before the intruder could see. His beady eyes examined the ginger's effective acting and then scanned the brunette to see a less persuasive and slightly blushing expression.

"Well, well, well," he smirked, "What do we have here?"

Ignoring his teasing, Beca replied, "Umm.. English homework which is due after lunch." Chloe nodded in support of this claim.

"Oh yeah.. You two sit next to each other in that, right?" another nod, "So, are you too distracted secretly holding hands to focus on your work in the lesson?" he quizzed cheekily. Both girls blushed and Beca opened her mouth to say something and found herself mumbling, "It's not what it looks like". The boy responded with a disbelieving "mmhmm".

With a pleading look on her face, the ginger spoke, "Jesse, please don't tell anyone, including Benji and Emily. The less people who know right now the better".

"Sure thang," Jesse winked before realising something, "Wait.. Who else knows?"

"Just one of my friends who also figured it out," Chloe proceeded as Beca kept her eyes glued to her work in order to avoid giving Jesse any hints.

"Ahh okay, well I don't know if they beat me to it, but you guys make a really cute.. and hot couple" he grinned dorkily and Beca looked up to roll her eyes while Chloe raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Actually," Beca chipped in, "She did mention the hot part.." Thinking of Stacie, both girls laughed before seeing the tanned boy opposite look at them questioningly. Seeing as neither girl seemed to budge, he sighed and pulled out his health & social homework.

* * *

 **Lunch Time**

"Emily, your lyrics for the song were beautiful! I don't think my voice did them justice to be quite honest," Chloe chimed in as she joined her four friends at their table in the bustling canteen. She slid in next to Beca and placed her ham salad in front of her while admiring the cooked lamb roast disappearing from the plates of three of her friends. Finally glancing to the girl beside her, she noticed the apple core and smiled at the improvement.

"Oh, thank you! That's really too kind. I couldn't believe how amazing it sounded after you and Beca did the recordings," Emily gushed and her cheeks reddened a little as she smiled at the twinkling eyes across the table from her.

Small talk transformed into Jesse lecturing the others on why the next DC superhero film was going to be the best yet, which inevitably diffused into a debate on whether risking the cost and effort of a cinema trip is really worth it.

"But if you watch the film illegally then you're not showing your full appreciation towards the film or increasing its box office profit!" Jesse spoke in a slightly exasperated yet still light-hearted tone. A few minutes later, the boy raised his hands in fake defeat and grinned, "I'm willing to negotiate on the matter; if this Saturday is good for y'all, I'll host a (not-just-superhero) movie night just to PROVE that watching in a room can't equate to the sensation of the cinema. Everyone in?"

Emily & Benji nodded enthusiastically and Beca, pretending to be irritated, eventually gave a small smile and also agreed.

"What about you, ginga ninja?" Chloe was brought out from her daze of simply observing at the sidelines to stare at the four pairs of eager eyes looking in her direction.

"Umm.. I'll have to check, but I'm probably free," she casually responded (though inside she felt warm at her official involvement with the nerdy yet adorable group).

"Wait.. One initiation question," the tanned boy grinned, "What type subway do you eat?"

"Oh I like a chicken tikka in hearty Italian bread," the ginger turned to Beca to subtly wink, "6 inches". The brunette smirked and raised a brow as she whispered, "That's a shame.. I'm a foot-long". Jesse who unwittingly overheard the exchange while taking a sip of water spat it onto the table and started to cough/choke as he laughed at the girls' shocked expressions.

"B-woman, I think you need to teach me a few things," he spluttered while also grinning (impressed) at the brunette's smoothness. The smaller girl looked away and blushed as Chloe spoke up, "It's not what it looks like", throwing a wink at the smirking girl next to her. Her intense eyes gleaming, Beca whispered, "We appear to have a catchphrase.."

Benji and Emily were luckily completely oblivious and more concerned with Jesse being okay. The curly-haired boy had offered his excessively long and multi-coloured handkerchief to be used to absorb the water on the table surface.

* * *

 **Afternoon Tutor**

"Becs", the ginger whispered in her purposefully silky and seductive voice next to the smaller girl's ear. Her skin tickling at the feeling of Chloe's warm breath brush against her, Beca squirmed and pretended to ignore the girl next to her and read her book. Chloe noticed how Beca had been trying to read the same sentence for the past five minutes and suppressed a giggle.

"Come with me, Becs," she persisted and let her left hand under the table glide up the brunette's right leg. Her fingers lightly stroked the smaller girl's inner thigh.

"WHAT?!" the smaller girl gasped, louder than anticipated. A glare burnt its way from Ms Radcliffe's disapproving face to the girls. Putting on an innocently sweet voice, the ginger hushed, "I'm asking if you'll come with me and get out of this silent room of dead air". Rolling her eyes while also grinning, Beca nodded. Immediately, Chloe stretched her hand into the air and cleared her throat. The beast looked over and with a questioning tone spat, "Yes Chloe?"

Smiling her dazzling teeth and in her slightly higher-pitched 'I'm an innocent little girl' voice, the ginger replied, "I was wondering if Beca and I might be excused please? We need to talk to our music teacher about the coursework." Bored of the clearly fake excuse, Ms Radcliffe dismissed them with a nonchalant wave of her claws.

Once out of the building, both girls dramatically inhaled the fresh air before stumbling together in heaps of laughter. Chloe grabbed her friend's hand as they started to breathe properly again and pulled her towards the gap between the art and science department buildings. They walked all the way along one side of the art block's perimeter before turning the next corner. Halfway along there was a little crevice, into which Beca was dragged.

"Chloe, what ar-" The collision of the taller girl's soft lips with her own ceased any further words from travelling out and instead transformed into a throaty groan. They both pushed harder into the kiss and shortly found their tongues dancing eloquently together before separating to explore one another's mouths. Chloe's hand reached down to grab Beca's ass before using her newfound grip to lift the smaller girl. She planted the brunette's back against the red-bricked wall and the skinny legs folded around the ginger's waist as the taller girl started to grind into her pelvic region. Beca's hands started to slide up the other girl's toned and flexing forearms as they gripped her legs before reaching Chloe's defined upper arms. Here, the brunette's fingers clasped through the turtleneck sleeves and used them as grip to thrust towards the ginger's grinding hips in time with the building rhythm. As they concentrated on their movements, the girls' lips separated yet hovered within an inch of one another. Their raspy breaths got heavier with the occasional moan escaping from each girl's throat.

Then, just as quickly as they'd started, they were halted by the bell for the end of tutor time. Groaning out of annoyance, Chloe and Beca separated before flattening any dishevelled-looking hairs and wiping around their lips. The brunette stood and gave the other girl a quick peck before whispering, "See you at English" and sneaking out into the growing throngs of students passing the crevice - completely unaware.

The brunette entered her classroom, a little more blushed than the 3-storey walk up the stairs usually caused. Noticing this, Stacie (who'd already settled into her seat and had been scrolling through Instagram nonplussed) turned and waited for the other girl to sit before speaking.

"You've got a nice glow, shortie. What is it called.. 'Ginger Supreme'?" the taller girl raised an eyebrow and smirked as the blushing girl's cheeks went a shade of crimson. Clearing her throat, the girl muttered, "It's not what it looks like".

"If you say so," Stacie replied in utter disbelief before turning her attention to Tom as he sat down next to her.

* * *

 **4 Minutes Later**

After going to a bathroom to reapply her lip gloss and check her lovebite-ridden neck was still covered, Chloe hummed happily and climbed the stairs to her English room. As she entered, the ginger took a deep breath and scanned the back of the room. Then she saw the intense eyes staring at her, smiling through their gloomier exterior. Chloe had always seen through the darkness of this girl's hidden eyes to the glowing heart beneath them. Even the first time she'd seen her in that alleyway on her way back from the cinema with her friends. Sure, she'd had to be discreet while Aubrey had been talking/complaining to her - but she still saw the small brunette silently slinking by in hot and edgy attire.

 _Crash!_

Chloe stumbled back, her eyes squinting shut and hand reaching up to gently massage her now-throbbing forehead. She felt a luke warm liquid seeping through to her chest and looked down, groaning. In all of her distracting thoughts, the ginger had walked straight into her teacher and the mug of coffee in Miss Lavender's now-drink-stained hand.

"Are you okay?" the blonde woman asked, panicked. Nodding in response, Chloe plastered a smile in an attempt to claim she was fine. Truthfully, her head throbbed a little but it was manageable - especially when an hour with Beca was on offer if she pretended to be fine.

"Okay, well you should at least go and change your top. Have you got anything spare?" the concerned teacher proceeded, the mumble of distracted and chatting students buzzing in the background.

"Err.. I think I have a clean polo in my bag," the ginger replied before realising how her spare top had a wide neck design.. exposing half of her collarbones AND whole neck.

"If you go and change, I'll get myself a new coffee and start teaching. Just come back when you're done," Miss Lavender smiled sympathetically at the worried teenager.

In silence, Chloe turned and headed down the stairs to the toilets on the ground floor. Once in a cubicle, the ginger removed her damp turtleneck and used a few sheets of toilet paper to wipe up the remaining liquid on her chest. Next, she pulled her slightly baggy, white spare t-shirt from the sports kit bag she'd been carrying with her since the morning. Slipping it on, Chloe walked over to the line of mirrors at the sinks and sighed. It was practically impossible to hide: her prominent collarbones prevented the top's wide neck from resting anywhere but slightly below them. A side plait was out of the question because, despite it being able to hide half of the lovebites on her neck, the ginger realised it would reveal the bruises scattered across her collarbone. Frowning, the taller girl wished she had Stacie's foundation and her friends' support to keep her calm. _I'm just going to have to get through this,_ the teenager dejectedly thought. Picking up her bags, Chloe placed on of her bag straps over her exposed collarbone and her loose hair on top of that. Sizing herself up in the mirror, the ginger realised how her wavy hair naturally strayed from her neck so decided to add a dab of water and haphazardly stick the innermost strands to her skin.. It would at least hold for her entrance to the classroom. Exhaling slowly, the girl straightened her posture and set off on her journey to her classroom.

* * *

 **3 Minutes Later**

As she took her seat next to the concerned brunette, Chloe felt a small vibration in her pocket. Checking to see that Miss Lavender wasn't looking, the ginger took out her phone and stared in confusion at the message:

 _Aubrey: Chloe, we need to talk._

Another message rolled in immediately after:

 _Aubrey: I spent Saturday & yesterday trying to push it out of my mind but I just can't.. It's about you and Beca._

Chloe gasped a little as her wide eyes re-read the messages. Seeing the taller girl's shocked expression, the brunette started to ask whether she was okay. In response, the ginger showed Beca the messages on her phone's lock screen.

"I'm sure she's just worried that I'm replacing her or something," the smaller girl tried to reassure Chloe. However, she gained a shaking head (and small wince from the pain) in response, "No; Aubrey's a self-assured person, she wouldn't even think like that.. She must know."

As Miss Lavender called for everyone's attention, the ginger put her phone in her pocket and started to tap her right index finger on her outer leg nervously. Finding it almost unbearable to see Chloe in such a harassed state, Beca instinctively reached her left hand under the table to hold the other girl's. Realising the risky move, the brunette was about to remove her hand when she felt a squeeze in return and slender fingers interlock with her own. Smiling warmly at each other, the two girls shuffled closer to one another without actually sitting on each other's chairs before turning their attention to the teacher.

They maintained their comforting position, occasionally squeezing the other's hand to prove they were still aware of and wanting to emphasise their message of love. That is, until it was time to write notes and Chloe had to move her hand above the desk to use her pen. Despite this, the brunette let her palm rest on the ginger's outer thigh, her fingers reaching across the warm fabric to gently grip the body beneath.

In that moment, and for the remainder of the lesson, Chloe felt safe. Beca's tentative grip somehow made all of her worries about Aubrey, the bruising, Tom, and everything else fade into the background as a gentle hum. With Beca, Chloe felt safe. And with Chloe, Beca felt needed. Together, they felt endless love.

"Thank you everyone for your hard work today, I'm sorry to increase the pace of lessons. I just want you all ready for your mock exams in a month," Miss Lavender smiled before the bell rang and the chatting crowd of students packed their bags hurriedly to leave.

"Chloe," the blonde woman spoke above the crowd's voices, "Would you mind staying behind please?"

Hearing this, the ginger turned to Beca and smiled genuinely (crinkling her eyes) as she spoke, "I'll see you tomorrow?" It wasn't meant as a question, it was more of a request. Understanding the pragmatics in the other girl's tone, the brunette nodded before awkwardly sliding past and leaving. As the last few students left, the ginger stood expectantly in front of her teacher's desk.

"Please, take a seat," Miss Lavender smiled comfortingly. Obeying, Chloe stayed quiet and respectfully waited for the woman to speak.

"How have you found the move? During A Levels it can be especially tough to change schools, but I see that you've a good friend in Beca."

Blushing due to the unintentionally provocative remark, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief at the question, "Yeah I don't mind it here. There are good teachers," and her sweet smile widened.

"That's good. You understand that, should you find yourself in any difficulties within or outside of your school life, all of our members of staff are here to offer a safe and supportive place for you to talk and tackle any.. issues?" A concerned look was edging across the teacher's pretty face.

"Umm.. What's this about, Miss Lavender?" the girl asked as she observed her uncomfortable teacher break eye contact before returning again.

"Well, I've noticed certain.. afflictions arise between you and a male student in the class: Tom," Chloe froze like a rabbit caught in the headlights as she heard the name, "And today you appear to have been covering up," the woman gestured to the student's uncovered neck-collarbone region, "the bruises. I was just wanted you to be aware that if someone (whether they go to this school or not) is pressuring you into ANYTHING you don't want or are regretting afterwards then we can help you." She looked expectantly towards the frozen teenager for an answer or expression to convey meaning.

Breathing deeply, Chloe spoke and her voice cracked a little before recovering, "I err.. Tom & I do have some skeletons admittedly, but they're in the past. I can assure you that what's going on in my social life is DEFINITELY consensual".

"Okay," Miss Lavender chuckled at the girl's tone by the end of her explanation, "Well in that case, do you mind me prying and enquiring as to why you were so worried to show your albeit heavily marked area of skin?"

Seeing the honesty and trustworthiness in her teacher's eyes, Chloe worded her answer carefully, "There have been a few.. rumours going around about a friend and me. These marks were likely to cause people to make conclusions which I don't want and am not prepared for."

"Ah, the good old rumour mill," the blonde smiled and nodded with understanding, "I think that's respectable.. Though next time maybe try and control the spread?"

"Yeah, I think that's best for now," Chloe grinned, the sun's rays shooting through the window and bouncing from her bright teeth. Standing, the student said good bye to the kind teacher, then descended the stairs of the building. As she stepped onto the pavement outside of the school, the ginger unknotted her earphones and pressed play on one of her playlists as Iggy Azalea started to blast through them the pink ear buds into her ear canals. Humming under her breath, Chloe got lost in her breath-taking thoughts of the small brunette and strolled home.


	17. The Not-So-Late Bloomer

**A/N Prepare for Bechloe-ness.. and the first (of possible future!) introductions to an 'interesting' couple - Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Friday Afternoon**

"Beca, we need to have a talk," Dr Mitchell spoke in his typical tone of sincerity as he steered the black Audi out of the school car park. In response the brunette put away her phone and waited as the huffing man reached to turn down the volume of the CD his daughter had put on to play.

"Sheila and I have been talking, and she's mentioned how much work you've been putting into school what with your target grades going up from B's to A's. This along with your effort to socialise and actually be a more NORMAL teenager is making me think that you're much closer to earning your motorcycle back. Obviously, I want you to remember your reckless actions at that party and NEVER repeat it. Your curfew still remains at being 10pm (10.30pm under certain circumstances), but I'm seeing you develop into a trustworthy and responsible adult." His momentary smile diffused as he continued his ramble, "However, in order to prove it to a full extent, I want you to go back through that list of extra-curricular activities with Sheila and choose a club to join. If you show signs of commitment to this as well as maintaining good grades and friendships, you'll have your motorcycle (and freedom) back."

Smiling at the idea of this compromise, Beca replied, "Okay, thanks Dad. I'll go over the list tomorrow maybe. I was wondering if I could take Chl.. Go into town with Chloe tonight? There's a new chick-flick at the cinema." The brunette knew the mention of a girly film would cause her dad to scrunch his nose in distaste at the genre, hopefully meaning he'd press for less detail.

"Sure, have fun.. But remember the curfew! Are you planning to eat before going?"

"Nahh, I was thinking of getting some food beforehand to take in," Beca casually responded as she secretly praised her father's good mood. They finished their conversation as they pulled up outside of the house and the brunette girl jumped out of the vehicle. She raced inside and up the stairs to quickly get herself ready before her second date with the ginger. The differences to their previous date: this time it was Beca's treat, and she was taking out the girl she was in love with (and who was in love with her too) on a proper, run-of-the-mill date. Chloe was unaware of Beca's plans to complete the archetypal event, and the brunette's decision was made when (on their first date) the taller girl had revealed the fact that she'd always wanted that ordinary date with someone she cared about and was willing to sacrifice their time to spending it with her. If this was going to bring that beautiful smile to the girl's face, Beca was determined to do it.

Grabbing her pre-planned outfit (which didn't stray from her usual attire), the frantic girl rushed across the landing to the shower after messaging Chloe to confirm the plans were going ahead. The steam from the hot shower loosened Beca's tight muscles as she stepped under the spraying shots of tepid water.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Chloe casually dropped her bags in her bedroom before prancing to the bathroom. In there, she locked the plug into the base of the tub and started to run the water at a luke warm temperature. Twisting to grab a towel and place it atop the white mat on the floor by the bath, Chloe kept her attention on her phone screen as she selected her 'Hip Hop Classics' playlist on Spotify. Smiling as Salt-N-Pepa's 'Push It' started; the ginger rested her phone on the windowsill and proceeded to set up body scrubs and moisturisers along the border of the bathtub as well as drop a florescent pink bath bomb into the liquid.

After receiving a confirmation text about their plans, Chloe had realised that, in the time it took her to walk home from school, she wouldn't be able to wash her hair. Instead, she settled for a quick bath to relax her exhausted limbs after a week of education. If she bathed relatively quickly, the girl had worked out, she'd have just about enough time to do her hair and get changed before catching the bus to town for Beca's 'surprise' date. The brunette had been willing to give the hint that she didn't need to eat beforehand, but other than that had left Chloe utterly clueless. This made choosing an appropriate outfit slightly more difficult, requiring the ginger's powers of deduction.

Knowing that Beca was likely to want Chloe to be comfortable but also impressed, the taller girl knew smart attire was inappropriate, as were party clothes (probably). Despite this, the ginger still wanted to look good and not too casual: she wanted to be visibly putting effort into her appearance that evening. Conclusively, Chloe had selected a light brown cord-material mini skirt which would reach 2/3 down her semi-tanned thighs. This would go with a skin-tight, long-sleeved black top which had a less opaque lacy-mesh pattern bordering the wide neckline. The love bites on her right collarbone-neck area had faded a little to darker purple-yellow bruises; however the ginger would still need to be wary when leaving the house in the more revealing top. Next was jewellery (other than the guaranteed golden ring for her right index finger), and Chloe selected a small blue Topaz gemstone in the shape of a teardrop which delicately hung from a thin silver chain to form a necklace. For her pierced lobes, the teenager put aside her matching blue Topaz stud earrings.

Having finished picking her outfit, the girl danced back to the ¾ full tub of pink water & bubbles and turned off the tap. She flung her clothes (a pair of joggers and a baggy hoodie which had been concealing her bruises) onto the white mat. A squeal eased its way from Chloe's mouth as she dipped her bare foot into the liquid. Easing herself down, the ginger smiled and closed her eyes briefly as she rested her head (messy bun atop) on the edge of the bath. Steam rose from the bubbles and the girl shook out her muscles to loosen them while making the most of the peaceful atmosphere. However, this sadly didn't last as the realisation of time-keeping dawned on Chloe.

She scrubbed her skin with speed. She rinsed her skin with speed. She pulled the plug with speed. She towel-dried her damp skin with speed. She moisturised the relaxed skin with speed. She threw the towel around her, leaping towards her bedroom with speed. She fastened her black & pink lacy bra to her chest with speed. She slipped on a pair of navy lacy underwear with speed. She applied fruity perfume to her pulse points and protruding collarbone with speed. She pulled her arms and head through her top with speed. She buttoned & zipped her skirt at her waist with speed. She untied her messy bun and started to straighten her hair with speed (and straighteners). She raised her eyebrows and applied mascara to top & bottom lids with speed. She brushed highlight onto her high cheekbones and inner eyes with speed. She puckered her lips and smoothed on lip gloss with speed. She winked jokingly at her reflection with speed. She selected and pushed her feet into a pair of calf-length socks with speed. She laced up her knee-high sandy brown cowgirl boots with speed. She clacked on her 3-inch heels to clean up in the bathroom with speed. She grabbed her phone and placed it in her small pastel pink purse with speed. She flung the purse's strap over her shoulder with speed. She walked out of the house with speed. She jogged to the nearest bus stop (as she saw the vehicle pulling up) with speed.

Sighing at her accomplishment, Chloe took a seat towards the back of the bus and sent a message on her phone.

* * *

 **Elsewhere…**

 _Ping_

The brunette squinted at her phone screen while maintaining her brisk pace towards town before hastily typing a reply:

 _Chloe: On the bus, be there in 15 xx_

 _Beca: Cool cool, can you get off at the stop by the Church?_

 _Chloe: Sure, though I need to ask.. Was I meant to wear white? Is this our 'Big Day'?_

 _Beca: Umm.. I hate to disappoint but the crate of white doves from Italy didn't arrive in time :/ Having to postpone it._

 _Chloe: Now that is a disa-aca-pointment!_

 _Beca: You're so weird XD_

 _Chloe: You love it though ;)_

* * *

 **18 Minutes Later**

"Sorry I'm late, an old woman started having an argument with the bus driver and tried to hit him with her walking stick," Chloe apologetically rambled as she panted to a stop in front of the patient yet smirking brunette.

"Don't worry, I just got to perv at this really hot ginger as she ran across the road," Beca joked while still admiring the taller girl's appearance. She'd never seen Chloe with straightened hair and was taken aback but also amazed at how it seemed to compliment and flow with her slender figure. As for the clothes, the smaller girl was always impressed by the ginger's ability to wear tight-fitting outfits yet not look out of place. Her eyes were sparkling bright as ever and Beca glanced down to notice the matching blue shine dangling from her two ears as well as rising & falling with her exposed chest.

"You look.. stunning," the brunette whispered as a cute smile played on her lips. Chloe heard the compliment and blushed a little, which emphasised how the sun was bouncing from her highlights. Her eyes were distracted from the other girl's impressed gaze as she took in the view before her. Beca was wearing her red converse high tops, light blue frayed and ripped skinnies, and a low-cut black vest top. She had a dark blue and black checked shirt tied around her waist and a small grey backpack strapped to her spine. Beads of sweat trickled down her neck from loose strands of the French plait and her skin glowed under the sun. Working her eyes back to the pale face, Chloe admired the expertly drawn eyeliner and smoky-metallic eyeshadow hovering above the girl's inquisitive eyes.

"So," the ginger started as she regained her breath, "Where are we headed?"

"First," Beca noticed Chloe smile and raise an eyebrow, "I'm taking you to dinner". It was only nearing 5pm however Beca had a strict curfew to work around for her plans. Luckily, Chloe hadn't eaten much that day and was more than happy to eat early. They chatted as Beca led them behind the Church's faded yet still architecturally beautiful stature and down a small alley onto an adjoining road to the high street.

"I hope this place is okay," the brunette almost asked as they stopped outside of a building, "I know you wanted a traditional date and so dinner was on the list but I also know that you have an overpowering sweet tooth.. So, here we are." Waiting for affirmation that she'd made the correct choice of location, Beca snuck a glance at the girl next to her. A dazzling smile spread across Chloe's face as she replied in a hushed voice, "Top marks, Becs." Nodding and grinning, the smaller girl led the way and opened the door to the ginger that mockingly curtsied and walked inside. The overpowering smell of freshly baked iced buns and cinnamon rolls among other delicacies wafted towards the newcomers.

"Welcome to Patisserie Valerie," a small, tanned woman with a thick French accent greeted the girls, "A table for two?"

Nodding eagerly, the teenagers allowed the woman to lead them to a small table at the side of the bustling workstation for employees. She handed them both a menu and said she'd be back soon to take their orders. Hungry, Chloe scanned the list of foods offered before resting on the option of 'Cinnamon Swirl Supreme' and as she read the description, her smile growing. However, just as quickly, it dropped as she read the price. Observing the adorable behaviour, Beca noticed the more solemn facial expression and didn't hesitate to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Umm.. It's kind of expensive here, Becs," the ginger looked with worry towards the girl opposite her.

"I know," the brunette shrugged, "But this is my treat and I can handle it". Feeling warmth rush through her tensed body, Chloe relaxed at the casual yet reassuring tone in Beca's voice. She thought to herself (and subconsciously muttered aloud), _"This is why I love you so much"._ Panicked, the ginger looked across the table to see if she'd been heard but saw a furrowed brow concentrating on the menu. Little did she know, Beca's heart was thumping with joy as she digested the cute slip-up.

"'Ave you chosen?" a voice interrupted and both girls jumped a little to focus on the smiling waitress.

"One 'Cinnamon Swirl Supreme' please," Chloe grinned.

"Actually, could you make that two please?" Beca added before smirking at the adorably happy expression facing her. Once the waitress had left, Chloe squealed, "You like cinnamon?" Beca leaned in a little and whispered, "I LOVE cinnamon" as she watched the ginger's eyes glance at her lips, tempted. Taking a breath and pulling her gaze back up, Chloe grinned, "I guess we're a perfect match!" Chuckling and leaning back, Beca mused, "Yeah.. I guess we are".

"Bumpa stop looking at them!" An Australian accent cut through the two girls' stare-off and they turned their attention towards the raised voice. Looking over directly at them were two teenagers sat at a table together. The boy, with a slightly chubby face and small dark eyes, was squinting directly at Chloe and Beca. He had short cropped brown hair and wore a dark hoodie over his striped t-shirt which was tucked into his light chinos under his almost bulging stomach. Opposite him sat a large blonde girl who appeared to be hissing at him as she snuck glances at the girls. Her hair was swept into a chunky ponytail and her fringe reached her long eyelashes. She was dressed in a long-sleeved top with a purple unicorn outline across it and dark jeans.

"Bumpa! Now they're looking at us," she whispered loudly at the boy, who replied in a surprisingly deep voice, "D- d'you think I should go over?"

"NO!" the blonde girl protested as the boy stood and strolled over to the two mesmerised girls.

"Hi, I was noticing how you two were gazing into each other's eyes or some bullshit, and just wondered if you finger diddle each other?" he spoke in a completely sincere tone as he looked between the two girls. Chloe's mouth gaped open in shock and her eyes narrowed slightly. Beca frowned and replied, "Excuse me?" Taking this as misunderstanding and not an exclamation, the boy proceeded in a slower (more patronising) tone, "Are.. you.. both.. from.. the.. island.. of.. Lesbos?" He appeared to smirk at his use of the pun with pride.

"Seriously dude, what the fuck?" Beca responded in an angrier tone now and was starting to stand to confront the idiot properly when the Australian girl pulled him back with his hoodie. Looking apologetic, she spoke to the girls, "I'm sorry about Bumpa, he was dropped on his head as a baby and suffers from dipshit-disease". Beca relaxed slightly into her seat and a smile turned the edges of her mouth up.

"Oh, how rude of me, I'm Fat Amy and this is my no-strings-attached boyfriend, Bumpa," the Australian continued, offering a hand. When neither girl made a move to shake it, she brought her other hand forward and high-fived herself. Leaving her speechless state, Chloe spoke up, "Wait.. You call yourself Fat Amy?"

"Yeah, it's so that twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back," the girl nonchalantly replied. Chloe frowned but bit her tongue, choosing not to question the strange girl's motives.

"And your name is 'BumpA'?" Beca raised a brow at the obnoxious boy and he frowned in return.

"Actually, it's BumpER. Don't mock my girlfriend's accent you dyke". The despicable name-calling pushed the two girls over the edge. However, Fat Amy simultaneously interrupted the ginger (as she started to infuriatingly argue) and small girl (as she stood up and her hands clenched into fists).

"Okay, everyone calm down. Let me repeat, Bumpa is mentally underdeveloped," she sighed and her voice lowered slightly, "Plus his parents are even more braindead than him.. So he basically has no awareness of what he's saying." Knowing this wasn't enough to make up for the brief dispute, the blonde brought her index fingers to her t-shirt front as she circled the unicorn and spoke, "Look at the unicorn and feel happy. Plus, here are some free sachets of ketchup from KFC that I stole". She dropped the packets of tomato sauce on the table after retrieving them from her jeans pockets and gained stern silence in response. No one spoke for a couple of minutes until Fat Amy made the noises and actions as if she were a galloping horse and dragged Bumper back to their table.

"Are you okay?" Chloe glanced at the brunette as she sat down and unclenched her white knuckles.

"Yeah," Beca sighed, "I just.. wanted this date to be perfect for you. Getting called names and approached by a unicorn-lover weren't exactly part of the plan."

"Hey," the ginger hushed and reached her hand out to rest on top of the other girl's as she made eye contact, "So long as I'm spending it with you, this is the best date ever." They grinned at one another and Chloe let her hand linger until their food arrived. Starving, she licked her lips as her gleaming orbs eyed up the plate.

"I'm torn," Beca chuckled, "Whether I want you to look at me that hungrily or whether it scares me slightly". Smirking, Chloe replied, "I don't think it matters; I'm going to ravish you anyway, baby". The ginger winked, making the smaller girl's cheeks redden and her stomach flutter.

As Chloe started to cut up and eat her assortment of iced cinnamon buns with warm chocolate sauce, Beca looked down at her own plate. It was a beautiful layout; with 5 miniature swirl cakes and perfectly complimentary chocolate sauce zig-zagging across them and their iced power cover. Fervently, the brunette picked up her knife and fork. Unaware of Chloe's anxious glances, she cut the nearest cinnamon bun up into small pieces. A chunk slid onto her fork and she twisted it in some of the chocolate sauce on her plate before placing it in her mouth. As she sucked and chewed on the soft texture, the sweetness of the icing hit her mouth and she smiled appreciatively. Eager for the sweet taste, Beca swallowed the miniscule chunk and lifted the next piece up.

Concerned about the girl opposite her potentially forcing herself to eat in public, Chloe glanced subtly at Beca. When she saw the brunette smile while enthusiastically eating a segment of her food, the taller girl felt a strong wave of relief. This was replaced with pure pride as she acknowledged Beca managing to progressively tackle three of the five cinnamon swirls. Not wanting to pressure the girl's slower pace of eating, Chloe had purposefully held back on finishing her own food. She decided to leave a quarter of her last cake on the plate as well, so that Beca didn't feel any embarrassment for not eating two of hers. She beamed ecstatically at the brunette as the waitress collected their plates and the two girls confirmed the food was satisfactory. Beca smiled back and was losing herself in the light blue orbs when she appeared to remember something. Looking at the time on her phone screen, the brunette yelped as she stood.

"We've err.. gotta get moving," the smaller girl explained to the confused ginger.

"It's only 6.40, your curfew isn't for ages.." Chloe replied as she stood and followed Beca. The brunette opened the door for the taller girl to smile and walk through first before following and responding, "It's not the curfew, it's another surprise". At a faster compared to previously leisurely pace, the smaller girl led the ginger down another side road before entering the busy Friday-evening high street. So that they didn't separate through the crowds, Beca interlaced her fingers with Chloe's and held her hand (tighter than was probably necessary). Using her short height to their advantage, the brunette paved a way through the throngs of people in the diagonal direction towards the multiplex cinema.

Their destination became clear to the ginger and she started to grin as they approached the large entrance. She welcomed the scent of popcorn up her nostrils and squeezed Beca's hand with excitement once they entered and were making their way up the stairs. Like an overexcited puppy, Chloe whispered into the ear of the girl next to her on the escalator, "What are we doing here?" In her typical layer of ironic sarcasm, Beca joked, "Oh you know, I thought I'd bring you here on a deadline so that we could sit in the foyer and watch everyone go and see a movie". Grinning despite the dark humoured reply, the ginger started to bounce up and down.

"Jesus calm down, Beale," Beca exclaimed, squeezing the other girl's hand tighter with her own (inside she was enjoying Chloe's cuteness more than words could describe).

"Which film are we seeing?" the brunette looked into the other girl's eyes and noticed the gleam of knowledge she'd been hoping to spot. Smirking, she replied, "You said you loved how he always plays the sensitive guy". Squealing in pure joy, Chloe unlaced her fingers and pulled the smaller girl into a tight hug as they awkwardly waddled from the top of the escalator.

"You're the best girlfriend everrrrr!" the ginger breathed into the embrace and felt the other girl tense. _Ah shit,_ Chloe thought to herself as she pulled away from the hug slightly and stammered, "I mean like a friend who's a gir-" Slender arms that were already around her waist pulled the embarrassed girl back into the tight hold. Beca's smooth whisper replied, "Shut up, weirdo. I wanna enjoy the first time this insanely hot chick called me her 'girlfriend'". They both smiled into one another's necklines and Beca breathed in the fruity scent on Chloe's collarbone.

"Oh shit," the brunette exclaimed as they pulled out of the loving embrace, "We're late! Fuck I'm sorry, Stacie told me how you hate being late and that it freaks you out and I didn't want that to happen but now we're late so come on!"

"Becs, I'm calm, and so should you be," the ginger smiled genuinely at the panicked girl who started to breathe deeper hearing this.

"Okay, well we still should get good seats. Did you want popcorn or a drink?" Chloe knew Beca was trying to be calm but the frantic look was still apparent in her eyes, "Nahh I'm good thanks". Nodding, the brunette led the taller girl to the spotty man in a red t-shirt waiting by the entrance to the cinema screens.

"Tickets please," he sighed in a monotonous tone as he eyed the tickets and then the two girls, adding towards Beca, "Have you got any ID?" Rolling her eyes about the fact she (a 17 year old) was still being asked to prove that she was at least 15 years old, the brunette produced her provisional license from her jeans pocket. Grunting at the foetal picture of the pale girl, he handed the tickets and license back to her while droning, "Screen 9, and enjoy the film".

Giggling with excitement, the ginger pulled Beca into the screen and stopped them in the shadowed corridor after the doors yet before the actual screening room. In the darkness, she stroked her long fingers up the smaller girl's ribcage and collarbones to rest under her jawline. Beca placed her hands on Chloe's waist as she felt the girl lean in and capture her lips. They kissed passionately for a while before either requested entrance for their tongue. Instead, they lavishly enjoyed the electric surges they were sending through one another's nerve endings in their colliding and soft lips. A few minutes later, Beca's tongue was starting to greedily lick at Chloe's lip gloss for entry when a huge bang vibrated through the floor and they jumped. Remembering they were in a cinema, and the trailers were playing, both girls realised where the noise had been from. Breaking the kiss, Chloe nuzzled her pointed nose against the brunette's soft slope. She then stepped back and started to skip towards the light blaring from the large screen, tempting Beca to follow hungrily.

The brunette strolled around the corner to the mass of seats (mostly empty as it wasn't the latest viewing that evening) and scanned them for the bright blue orbs. Then she spotted them, staring right at her (mischief in their glint) a few rows up the steps on the right-hand side. Sliding into the seat next to her, Beca took a moment to observe how adorable the ginger looked. Chloe was sat with a straight back and perfect posture, leaning forwards slightly as her eyes glued themselves to the large screen and her wide grin opened to form a _"wow"_. Chuckling, Beca whispered, "You look like a child going to the cinema for the first time on their 5th birthday". Turning her attention to the girl next to her, the excited girl shrugged, "It used to be a thing I'd do with Mum when I'd done well at something - the cinema will always be a reward to me". She leaned in closer to the brunette and spoke in her silky voice, "What's this reward in aid of, Mitchell?" Her spine quivered and the brunette blushed, resulting in a giggle from the other girl as she turned back towards the screen.

"Oh two can play at this game," the smaller girl smirked and spoke loud enough for the ginger to hear her over the car advert playing. Without hesitation, Beca moved her left hand above the arm rest between her and Chloe. Her palm landed on the other girl's tensed and bare thigh as her fingers started to slip down towards the shadow under the brown skirt. Her bright eyes widening, Chloe opened her mouth and a loud gasp escaped. Pulling her hand back, Beca burst out laughing. Once again remembering their setting, the brunette gave an apologetic look towards the various glares directed her way. She glanced back and her mouth dropped open.

"Chlo.."

"Yeah, Becs?"

"Is that.. I think that couple are at the back".

"What couple?" the ginger turned her head and found herself imitating Beca's reaction as she realised, "Ohhh.. THAT couple". They turned back around and looked at one another. Shrugging, Beca spoke, "I didn't mind Amy; she was obnoxious but funny". Nodding in agreement, Chloe continued, "But that Bumper guy was a total dick". They both glanced back and suppressed a grimace at the sloppy kissing and amateur groping.

"Please tell me I don't look like that," Beca whispered.

"Trust me, you don't," a voice chimed about an inch from her ear. Before she could react she felt a surge of pain through her ear.. Chloe had bitten her earlobe. In a higher pitch than intended, Beca reacted, "Dude!"

"Sorry," Chloe answered sincerely as she resumed her original distance, "I just.. felt compelled to sort of show them how it's done. Plus," she hesitated and looked a little embarrassed, "You're really hot and have taken me on an amazing date. I mean," she gestured to the screen, "You've brought me to see 'The Late Bloomer', a film which you'll probably hate, just because I mentioned that night in October that I think Johnny Simmons is a cute actor. I.. I think I lucked out with you, Becs." She looked back up to see a grinning face beaming back at her.

"Actually, this film is supposed to have a really hot blonde in it, so I may not be COMPLETELY opposed to the film. I think her name's Brittany Snow?"

"You trying to make me jealous?" Chloe grinned.

"Nahh, that actress cannot compare to who's sat next to me right now".

"I love you," Chloe sighed as Beca leaned in to nuzzle their noses as the last trailer finished.

"I love you too, weirdo," the brunette whispered.

As the opening to text to the film started, the girls diligently switched their phones off after Beca checked that her text updating her dad on her whereabouts had sent. Her attention now on the opening credits of the comedy, Beca was taken aback when she felt bony fingers sliding into the gaps between her own. Liking the surprise however, the brunette adjusted herself so that the position was most comfortable for both of them to hold hands.

* * *

 **45 Minutes Later**

Chloe was trying her hardest to concentrate on the film, and she was half-enraptured in the clever narrative, comedic moments, and of course Johnny Simmons' flawless performance pursuing his main love interest Michelle (the admittedly gorgeous actress Brittany Snow's character). However, the pure fact that she was in the dark next to the beautiful brunette was too distracting; she felt almost spurred on. This was only added to by the loud couple at the back as Bumper tried to get his sloppy tongue into Fat Amy's impatiently waiting mouth. She knew it was wrong, but a fiery urge was burning inside the ginger and the other couple getting away with it was feeding her competitive urges. Her breathing started to get heavier and she clamped down on her bottom lip.

Noticing the ginger's forearm and hand momentarily tense in their interlocked position, Beca looked over to see electrifying orbs staring back at her. The ginger wasn't upset or confused, she was.. something else which the smaller girl couldn't quite decipher in the dimmed lighting. Glancing down to the Chloe's ensnared lip, Beca started to make a conclusion and smirked. _Is that an expression of.. lust?_ The brunette raised a brow and unlaced their fingers as the ginger mirrored her turning body.

Beca licked her lips and Chloe freed hers from her teeth as she leaned in and caught the smaller girl in a passionate, urgent kiss. She didn't wait before her tongue was tracing brunette's rosy lips, snaking into the warm mouth as Beca followed her lead. The taller girl started to slide her hand to the other girl's inner thigh but found it being pushed away.

"Shit, I'm sorry Becs", she apologised. Smirking, Beca shook her head at the concerned ginger, "Tonight is MY treat, okay?" Breathless, Chloe nodded and smiled as she leaned back in to reignite the kiss. Still not retracting her hand from the smaller girl's toned inner thigh, she squeezed in encouragement. Beca put her hand up to the ginger's jawline and pulled the girl onto her tongue with a throaty growl. Revelling in the intensity, Chloe paused to bite down on Beca's lip and slowly pull off. It stung the brunette however her pain threshold wasn't in mind as she groaned in approval. Instantaneously, the smaller girl dropped her right hand from the ginger's chiselled jaw down to her waist; her slim fingers starting to poke under the tight-fitting material. When her fingers made contact with the smooth skin through the darkness Chloe gasped and lunged into the kiss further. Beca's hand travelled upwards and stroked over the black lace, feeling a silk trim as she grasped the soft mound. The ginger arched her back, pushing her chest into the brunette's nimble fingers as they kneaded and massaged her breast. Beca's light squeezes increased in pressure as she pushed into the generous and pliable skin. The taller girl's grateful moans got slightly louder; causing the brunette to briefly pull back and whisper, "Chlo, I love you and how much you're enjoying this but we probably should keep it down, yeah?" Nodding in understanding, the ginger started to grin. She lifted Beca's other hand and put the fingertips in her mouth and sucked as she slowly pulled them back. Shivering slightly at the feel of the other girl's tongue stroke against her skin, the brunette leaned down and plastered her mouth against the left-hand base of Chloe's neck. Combining this with the caressing of the writhing girl's breast, the taller girl started to groan again. Sighing into the base of the neck, Beca offered up her 2nd knuckles (bent fingers at the middle joints) on her left hand towards the ginger's parted lips. Comprehending the gesture, Chloe's teeth grazed the thin skin. As the other girl tucked her right index finger under the lace bra to stroke the ginger's hardened nipple, the taller girl suddenly gasped and bit down hard to suppress a squeal. Beca sucked and nipped harder on the lightly freckled skin, delving slightly below the top's neckline (having dragged it down gently with her teeth). Conscious of leaving marks this time, Beca had worked her way around the border to Chloe's top before making her way back. Her thumb and forefinger were specifically rubbing and gently pulling at the ginger's erect nipple when an acoustic beat got louder from the film and a final clip with Jane Lynch ended to give way to the end credits. Glancing at the screen through the corner of her eye, Chloe's orbs widened and she hurriedly pulled away before the lights went up. Looking a little confused at first, Beca took a second to realise that the film had ended. Before anyone in the cinema could connect the dots of which teenagers had been groaning earlier, the ginger had slid past the brunette out of the aisle, grabbed her hand and pulled her rapidly down the steps. Bursting with excited laughter and the endorphins rushing through their bodies, the two girls stumbled from the cinema and stopped to catch their breath.

Panting slightly still, the ginger smiled and the corners of her eyes crinkled, "Thanks for tonight, Becs. I had a lot of fun". Chuckling, the smaller girl replied, "The pleasure was.. mostly all mine," before bowing majestically.

Turning her phone back on, Beca scowled at the time. Disappointed, she looked over to the other girl, "I'll walk you to your bus but then I have to set off if I'm going to get back in time for my curfew". Her smile still in place, Chloe replied, "Making the most of the time we DO have is all I ask!"

"So," Beca started as the two slowly walked through the cool night breeze, "Sorry we basically missed the film".

"Don't worry; I think we had a lot more fun than any of the other people in the cinema".

"Ooh I don't know, Amy & Bumper sunk onto the floor beneath their seats for a.. more private location by the looks of it".

"They don't count because they didn't watch any of the film!" Chloe pretended to dispute as she nudged Beca with her elbow playfully.

"Okay, okay," the brunette played along and held her hands up, "You make a good case, Beale."

They were rounding the corner to the dimly-lit bus station when Beca felt long fingers grip her arm and halt her in her steps. She stopped and turned to the ginger. Looking sincerely into the intense dark orbs, Chloe spoke softly, "Becs, I know it slipped out earlier, but.. I want to ask you properly". She took a step away and held the smaller girl's hands in her own lovingly. Smiling, the girl said with confidence, "Beca Mitchell, we've been on two official dates and uncovered innumerable skeletons in one another's closets," she winked at the loose pun, "and I want to ask.. Will you be my girlfriend?" She breathed in sharply and scanned the smaller girl's face. With a deadpan expression, the brunette replied, "Yes Chloe, I shall be your girlfriend.. But aren't I meant to ask you seeing as I took you on the date tonight?" She quirked a brow as the ginger returned her growing smirk, "Firstly, you're such a dick for being all monotonous in your acceptance and putting me on edge. Secondly, I think we have enough things to occupy our thoughts already and it doesn't matter who asks what". Impressed with the calculative answer, Beca intertwined their fingers and smiled, "I love you, weirdo."

"And I love you, my-more-than-just-a-friend-girlfriend" Chloe beamed back before her eyes narrowed at the road ahead, "But that's my bus and I need to catch it". She started to jog in her heeled boots and waved to the girl watching her, "See you at Jesse's thing tomorrow!"

Before Beca could reply, Chloe's slender figure had disappeared around the corner to catch the bus as it offloaded and turned around. With her insides still burning from their passion in the cinema, the brunette sighed and turned away reluctantly. She pushed her earphones in and pressed play on the latest Ministry of Sound compilation of drum & bass as she started on her journey home. _Maybe Jesse was right after all.. The cinema can cause unreplicable sensations,_ Beca smirked to herself as she reached the main road.

* * *

 **25 Minutes Later**

On the last stretch of her walk home, Beca nervously checked the time to see that she'd make it back with a few minutes to spare before her curfew's deadline. Sighing with relief, the brunette felt her illuminated phone vibrate as a message appeared:

 _Chloe: Can't wait till tomorrow when I get to see my gf again!_

The freezing cold girl felt her heart thaw as she read the possessive determiner defining her association with the ginger.

 _Beca: You've been locked down? Damnnnn that's some lucky girl.. She better be treating you right ;)_

 _Chloe: Oh she DEFINITELY is, though I plan to step it up a little soon and return the generosity ;)_

Gulping nervously, the brunette stared at the most recent message as her mind started to race. Somehow, telepathically, the ginger must have known this as another message popped up:

 _Chloe: Baby, don't worry I'm just having a little fun ;) Get home safe and I'll see you tomorrow (P.S. do you want to meet before going to Jesse's?) Xxx_

 _Beca: Yeah sounds good to me, love you weirdo xxx_

 _Chloe: Right back at ya ;) xxx_

Within minutes Beca was being hit with a blast of warm air as she walked through the front door. Seeing her father walk into the hallway, the brunette pointed at the clock on the wall saying 9:56pm and spoke indignantly, "I'm back on time, I had a fun girl's night out, and now I'm getting sleep - night Dad". Sighing, Dr Mitchell murmured, "Night, kiddo", as his daughter marched up the stairs to her bedroom. _At least this Chloe girl seemed to be keeping her on the straight and narrow,_ the man sighed as he walked back to where he'd been reading the paper; completely oblivious of just how far from 'straight' she was..


	18. The First Time

**A/N Firstly, I just want to forewarn all of you that I'm not giving up, but won't be posting for a couple of days due to travelling. And secondly, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Saturday Afternoon**

Worried that Dr Mitchell would cause Beca to be late for meeting up like he did before Stacie's sleepover, Chloe had chosen a location with less dogs wandering freely. The ginger walked diligently up the last road and came to rest against the wall outside of the school. Jesse (and Emily) appeared to live the opposite direction to Barden than both Chloe & Beca, so the two girls had decided it was logical to meet and walk from there together. Chloe's golden ring gleamed as her right index finger nervously tapped against the back of her phone and her eyes narrowed to scan her surroundings.

"BOO!" a voice shouted from behind the wall. The ginger screamed and jumped forward as she turned to see a chuckling figure walk around to meet her.

"Beca, you HAVE to stop creeping up on and hiding from me.. I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack," Chloe said sternly, but a smile broke through as she focused on her girlfriend grinning in a proud (and adorable) manner.

"That's a big ask, Beale. Short people like me feel accomplished with our natural ability to blend in. Anyway," she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the pouting girl's waist, "We both know that you're going to die when you're 106 with all of your smiling, bright-eyed family around you".

"Oh, yeah?" the ginger quirked an eyebrow, "And where will your dark eyes be?"

"They'll be behind my closed eyelids as I give you one last kiss". Chloe's mouth dropped open and she found herself speechless at first. Then, "Becs, that was literally the cutest thing ever!"

"Yeah, it will be.. But then your husband will drag my homeless hobbit ass off of you and smack me one," the brunette added. Beca was awkward to say the least and, as much as she'd wanted to, couldn't just leave the loving sentence on its own. Luckily, Chloe had already deduced this defence mechanism and knew that the added joke only emphasised how much she'd meant the original statement.

Before they could get carried away and make a scene in public for the middleclass people around them to scowl at, the two girls picked up their overnight bags and started to make their way to Jesse's.

* * *

 **45 Minutes Later**

As they walked up the large steps to the front of the tanned boy's house (which was equally as old and equally as large as his next door neighbour/Emily's), Chloe pivoted to look at Beca.

"You know, I'm not sure how to last a WHOLE NIGHT with you yet not able to kiss those perfect rosy lips," the ginger spoke softly and briefly glanced down at the smaller girl's mouth.

"You know," Beca imitated with a grin, "We may be able to sort something out".

The heavy door opened and the boy laughed at the dazed girls stood before him, "Come on, you can flirt out the back". He winked and stepped aside for the bashful couple to enter. They removed their shoes (for Beca, a pair of black converse low tops, and for Chloe, a pair of white open-topped slip-ons), then followed Jesse into the first room on the right where two adults sat.

"Guys, meet my parents. Parents, this is Becaw and Ginga Ninja," he grinned goofily as the adults stood and walked over.

"By that, he means you're Beca and Chloe, right? I'm James," the skinny and tanned man with glasses and a prominent jaw spoke in an American accent.

"Err.. Yeah," Beca smiled at the man, before plucking up the courage and adding, "Whereabouts in America are you from?"

"California," Jesse's dad beamed, "Which is where I met this beautiful Brit". Indicating the woman smiling softly next to him, she spoke, "Hi, I'm Gloria".

"Nice to meet you both," Chloe chimed in, "And thanks for having me.. Us".

"Well ain't that cute," Jesse quietly joked to Beca who shot him a brief glare as he led them out of the room.

"So, is your house as INSANE as Emily's?" the brunette joked.

"Well.. It's not exactly mellow.." Jesse died off and looked a little embarrassed.

"No wait I didn't mean it like that! I'm just asking whether your house can compete in coolness," Beca hurried to try and save herself from her friend's increasing upset-puppy expression.

"Oh," he lit up immediately, "Well she has more epic stuff definitely! But," he planted his hand on his chest proudly, "I have the bigger collection of limited edition graphic novels". He bowed graciously as the two girls giggled and the brunette sighed, "Of course you do".

"Where are the others by the way?" the ginger asked in her melodic tone of curiosity.

"Oh they're out the back in the pool.. or hot tub if it's warm enough now," Beca raised an eyebrow and Chloe's jaw dropped slightly.

"Dude, you realise we live in England, right? Where it's ALWAYS freezing!" the smaller girl almost shrieked.

"Yeah," Jesse shrugged, "But that's what underfloor heating, a sauna and a hot tub are for". He grinned rather than looked embarrassed this time at how overwhelmed his friends were. Opening a door to a small room, he added, "You did remember to bring your swimming stuff right?" Both girls nodded before Beca grinned, "I didn't realise we'd need it for AT YOUR HOUSE!" Chuckling, the tanned boy smiled at the excited girls, "Well.. Get changed here and join us when you're ready". He turned to leave before a thought occurred and he looked back at them, "No funny business in here; there isn't a lock". With a wink, he walked away whistling happily.

Beca dragged Chloe into the cosy room and artificial lighting flicked on as the ginger closed the door. Both girls put their bags on a bench which ran along one wall. They dragged out wipes and started to remove their subtle make-up.

"Umm," the brunette half-whispered, "Just a disclaimer.. the whole 'being comfortable in little clothing' thing isn't within my comfort zone usually."

"That's okay," the taller girl hummed as she focused on digging her towel and bikini from her floral bag, "I love you for who you are, remember?" After saying this she looked over and smiled at the intense blue orbs, seeing the other girl's tense posture relax a little.

"Also," Chloe added, "If you want I can change elsewhere or turn away.. If you would prefer the privacy, I mean."

"Thanks," Beca gave a small smile to demonstrate her appreciation, "Turning away might make it a little less awkward when I strangle myself trying to tie my bikini."

"WAIT," the ginger accidentally objected louder than intended and, blushing, corrected herself before continuing, "I didn't realise you'd be wearing a bikini.."

"Well, seeing as I'm not a professional swimmer or, like, thirteen years old," Beca joked, "Then yeah, I'm wearing a bikini."

"I kind of wish you hadn't mentioned it," Chloe replied as she bit her bottom lip, "It's going to be a lot harder to look away."

Shaking her head lightly, the brunette snorted and turned to extract the necessities from her black bag. Once she'd piled her bikini top and bottoms with her towel on the bench, Beca spoke, "Okay, so time for you to turn away.. please". Nodding in response, the ginger turned to face the door. The brunette hesitated for a minute to admire Chloe's bare back with the exception of the thin turquoise strings fastening her bikini top to her spine and neck. Her bronze body was slender yet curved under her ribcage and her fiery locks were brushed into a messy bun. Still wearing her pastel pink skirt, the smaller girl admired how the material rested off her hips and slacked at the back. Beca licked her lips subconsciously as she repeatedly raked her eyes from Chloe's bare legs up to her broad shoulders.

"Are you going to change or just perv at me?" the ginger giggled over her shoulder towards the silence behind her. Blushing, the other girl stammered, "I err.. w-was chan- changing". Chuckling at the blatant lie, Chloe started to hum melodically as Beca rapidly stripped off her dark blue skinny jeans, red & white checked shirt, and matching red silk underwear set. She shoved her outfit into her bag and zipped it up. Within seconds, the slim girl had pulled her striped black & white bikini bottoms to rest at her waist and was fiddling with the back of her matching bikini top when she heard a silky whisper over her shoulder.

"Allow me," Chloe's slender fingers brushed against Beca's spine, sending a luxurious chill down it. With ease, the taller girl clipped the bikini back in place. She hesitated, before whispering again seductively, "Lift your hair." The brunette obeyed and wrapped her wild tendrils around her fists as she held her hands above her head. Chloe's fingers traced their way softly and slowly to the other girls neckline before sliding over and down the heaving chest. Revelling in how excited she made Beca's body, the ginger took her time retrieving the bikini top's black strings for fastening around her neck. Skimming the pale skin and protruding collarbone, she eventually brought them up fully and tied a knot where Beca's spine ended. Once she'd finished, Chloe tucked her finger under to check it wasn't too tight. Before she told the girl to put her hair back down however, the ginger leaned forward and gently kissed at the soft skin covering Beca's muscular trapezius. She worked her sucking outwards from the base of the brunette's neck to her shoulder. There, she stopped and stood back, whispering in a more sullen tone, "We should go". Acknowledging this, the smaller girl turned and smiled at Chloe. The girls picked up their towels and started to leave the room as Beca whispered, "I love you so much, Chlo", to which the ginger immediately replied, "I love you too, Becs."

* * *

"Took long enough!" the tanned boy shouted and tapped an imaginary watch on his wrist cheekily. He was stood in baggy pastel pink trunks which hung from his hips down and ended at his knees. Jesse was surprisingly muscular, Beca noted, as she observed his toned biceps and semi-defined abs. Before either girl could reply, the boy had jumped cannon-ball-style into the pool, showering Benji's curly hair in warm water. Noticing the new arrivals, the boy lifted his pale stature from the pool and jogged over in his soaked white t-shirt and regal blue trunks to awkwardly greet the girls. His sentence cut itself off however as Emily walked outside (presumably from having gone to the toilet) and Benji's soft brown eyes followed the tall girl in a bright purple bikini as she joined them.

"Hey, you two!" Emily beamed with equal excitement to the now-speechless Benji. The four of them chatted happily for a few minutes before a voice called over.

"You lot coming in, or am I gonna have to drag y'all?" Jesse joked. Turning to the grinning boy, Emily smiled, started running and jumped into the water. Benji followed her lead with less confidence. Chloe & Beca threw their towels on a chair to the side, the ginger secretly looking at the other girl's half-naked front. Unexpectedly, the taller girl grabbed the brunette's hand and raced them both towards their friends, pulling them into the light blue ripples. As the warm liquid enveloped the girls, their grip loosened and they rose separately. Before she could open her eyes, the ginger felt an additional wave hit her in the face and she gasped. A smirk played on her lips however as she opened her light blue orbs and spoke silkily, "Oh you're going to regret that.."

"Really?" Beca replied, slowly moving closer to the tanned boy, "Not if I hide behind this hunk".

"Hunk?" both Jesse and Chloe questioned the brunette's wording jokingly.

"Becaw, I'd feel bad ganging up on someone," he grinned and suddenly moved back as the ginger moved her hands to push a large wave of water at the vulnerable girl.

"Hey!" she squealed (and spluttered) as a spark lit her dark eyes. Turning to Chloe, she offered her pinky playfully, "Truce?" Shaking the little finger with her own, the taller girl replied, "Truce". Nodding in unison, they both crouched and started to corner Jesse - their arms lifted slightly above the water and open palms ready to attack.

"Please, God no not the water! Nooooo!" the boy pretended to be panicked as the girls approached; breaking into mock tears after the wave had hit him. The three of them chuckled and proceeded to mess around before Chloe realised something, "Where'd the other two go?"

"Oh, Emily wanted to go in the sauna; she LOVES that thing, and Benji.. Well, he'll have probably followed her," Jesse chuckled to himself before sparking up again, "Which reminds me.. Who wears the trousers in your relationship?"

Narrowing her eyes at the presumptuous question, Chloe responded sweetly, "Who said either of us wears anything?" Beca raised her eyebrows, shocked and impressed by the answer at the girl before mouthing _"You are SO HOT!"_ Noticing the brunette mouth the words which he'd actually been thinking about their relationship in general, Jesse smiled.

"You know," he spoke in a cheeky tone, "If you two wanna.. appreciate one another right now, I'm cool with watching that." He shrugged as if he was being a humble host and both the girls splashed him again before laughing at his pretend expression of shock. Sighing, he added, "Or don't", before swimming past the two girls.

* * *

 **15 Minutes Later**

Jesse and Emily were racing one another at lengths of the pool (which was apparently a tradition the two had kept up for years) as Benji eagerly counted them down and called the tanned boy out for trying to cheat.

Meanwhile, Chloe had dragged Beca (not-so-reluctantly) to the hot tub once their host had deemed it "hot enough for even their chemistry" and winked. The hot tub was hidden away from the pool in the corner of the large garden: a tall wooden fence bordering each side in order to offer as a windshield. The gate had a small hooked lock on the back which Chloe fastened to prevent it opening and cold winds blowing in. Beca had raised a brow at this yet said nothing; simply smirking slightly at the newfound privacy. The taller girl's wavy ginger locks were scooped into a messy (yet also perfect) bun atop her head, whereas her girlfriend had scraped her hair into a high ponytail. The rising steam from the hot tub had caused the smaller hairs around both girls' foreheads to twist into little tendrils and they'd giggled at this.

Sighing in satisfaction, Chloe rested her neck against the edge and spoke with closed eyes and a relaxed yet still chiselled jaw, "You know, I really love this.. Like, how a tub of hot water seems to wash away all the worry and tension in your body. I may not be making sense.."

"You're making perfect sense," Beca smiled over at the girl as she opened her eyes, "I should probably have baths more often; my shoulders are always tight."

Getting an idea, the ginger lifted her head and spoke, "Can I give you a massage?"

"Umm.. I guess, if you want? But even a chiropractor has told me I'm her worst nightmare," the brunette chuckled. Gleaming with excitement, Chloe reached towards Beca and pulled the smaller girl to sit in front of her as she replied, "I'm up for the challenge."

Beneath the bubbly water, the ginger curled her long and slender legs around Beca's waist, holding the tense girl in place. Her fingers tenderly caressed their way up the brunette's almost bare back before coming to rest over the smaller girl's chunky trapezius either side of her slim neck. Resting her palms flat against the tense muscle, Chloe bit her bottom lip as she started to push in circular motions with her thumbs against the knot. A frown creased its way across her forehead as she used her fingers on the other side to pull inwards. Together, the motions combined and allowed the taller girl's determined thumbs to wriggle into the loosening knot of tension. A low moan escaped Beca's parted lips in cohesion with the other girl's actions. The tendons in Chloe's forearms rose above the surface as she flexed and her nimble fingertips pressed harder. Having loosened a portion of the stressed muscle, her palm slid further towards the brunette's neckline and repeated the massaging movements - gaining a louder groan of approval. Upon working her way to the base of Beca's neck, the ginger was faced with a physical obstacle: the tied string fastening the top of her bikini. Pondering for a second as she proceeded to knead the previous loosened area, the taller girl decided to ask.

"Hey Becs, your bikini top is kind of obstructing the way. May I.. undo it please?"

Smirking slightly with her eyes still closed, the smaller girl replied in a huskier voice, "Do what you need to, Beale."

With that in mind, Chloe swiftly unlaced the black bikini strings and watched them sliver down Beca's front into the foaming water. Immediately, the ginger returned to pushing into the base & just behind the other girl's neck. A growl purred from the brunette's throat as she experienced the technique appearing to relax and calm her heavy head, as well as her knotted neck. This acted as encouragement to the taller girl who, having finished this area (and not wanting to overdo it) moved her 1st and 2nd knuckles to roll through Beca's slightly hunched shoulder blades. As she carefully and more gently approached the area around the spine, Chloe once again hesitated and looked at the black line obstructing her access. Noticing the pause in movement, Beca intuitively sighed, "Do it", and the ginger obliged. After unclipping the back fastening to the striped bikini, Chloe's bright orbs followed the material falling from the pale body. A slim hand lifted it from the depths of water and placed it onto the hot tub edge. Beca straightened her posture and leaned into the taller girl's knuckles as she travelled slowly across and down the toned back. Eventually reaching the brunette's tight lower back muscles, the other girl expertly spread her fingers around the smaller girl's sides as her thumbs pushed into the soft skin. Within minutes the muscles were slackened and Chloe was admiring her work as Beca turned around. The ginger's legs were now tightened around the other girls lower back and she found toned legs slipping behind her ass to pull her in closer. Maintaining eye contact, Chloe felt her heart start to race as she observed the confidence creeping onto the smaller girl's face.

"Now that I'm all relaxed from your..-" Beca purred, however paused, unsure of how to describe the massage.

"Acupressure," Chloe smiled and offered.

"Thanks," Beca nodded and continued, "Anyway, how can I relax you?" Her intense stare gleamed and the ginger's voice quivered slightly as she whispered, "What if I don't want relaxing?"

Quirking a brow, the brunette leaned back slightly before a knowing expression dawned on her face. Simultaneously, the girl grabbed Chloe's right hand and placed it at her chest level as she leaned back in. Parting her rosy lips, the shorter girl made contact with the ginger's as she felt the slender fingers clutch her left breast. Their tongues danced as Chloe's expert movements were applied to the mound resting in her palm. She felt a hand grasp under her jawline and fingers gripping her neck to pull their colliding lips closer together. The taller girl's left hand drifted down to grasp Beca's toned ass beneath the striped bikini bottoms as her right index and middle fingers started to gently squeeze and pull at her hardening nipple (despite the hot temperature of the water). Beca's free hand travelled to the tie on the back of Chloe's turquoise bikini top as her hand which had been resting under the ginger's prominent jawline snuck further round to the knotted string at the base of the girl's neck. In one swift movement, both knots were untied and Beca's lower hand traced its fingers from the taller girl's spine across her ribcage to her front. Excitedly, her fingertips snuck under the loose top and pulled it away from the perky breasts. After placing the bikini next to her own, Beca shuffled her hips through the water (making the ongoing kiss more vigorous) and pressed her naked top half flush against Chloe's. Gasping, the ginger removed her right hand and drifted it down to join her other under the smaller girl's bikini bottoms. The teenagers moaned into one another's mouths as their sensitive and erect nipples brushed against each other and the soft, perky breasts.

The foamy bubbles stuck to their upper arms and collarbones as their bodies itched to be closer. Beca leaned forward and the ginger arched her back to comply. As the brunette started to grind against Chloe's hips, the taller girl found her right hand (still beneath the striped fabric) sliding its way from the other girl's ass towards the front. The smaller girl opened her eyes wide and pulled back from the kiss slightly to gasp as the slender fingers brushed lightly against her front. Before Chloe could ask if what she was doing was okay, their lips were reconnected and the brunette thrusted into her welcoming hand. Slowly, the ginger's fingertips sunk lower towards Beca's core and grazed through a thin layer of short pubic hair. She pulled at it slightly and the other girl groaned. Still moving at an unhurried pace, the fingers slid lower. Both girls sighed quietly as Chloe's right index finger smoothly slipped between Beca's flaps. Taking her time, the ginger's finger teasingly dipped further into the moistened core before returning to tickle the edges. Eventually, the taller girl added her middle finger and started to rub small circles against the brunette's clit. Beca's breathing became ragged and her beautiful breasts pushed against Chloe's chest with more force. Within seconds, the taller girl's breaths transformed into eager panting as she manoeuvred her wrist and found her finger's thrusting inside the brunette. Locating the girl's G-Spot, the ginger alternated her focus to massaging this and the clit as Beca's bucking movements became more frequent. She gasped between heavy breaths and urgent kisses, "Oh my.. God! Chlo.. I.. I'm.. I'm go- going to.. c-". Her throat was unable to utter words as the other girl re-attached her lips to the smaller girl's pulse point on her neck beneath her ear. Chloe's left hand proceeded to pull Beca's ass in closer onto her as her fingertips rhythmically circled, stretched and rubbed, and her mouth sucked, pulled and nipped at the brunette's throbbing neck. The smaller girl's hands were gripping the other girl's rotating shoulder blades and she dug her fingers into the skin, dragging downwards slightly. With one final sigh, Beca scratched Chloe's upper back and clenched her jaw hard as she felt her core throb with intensity. Panting, the girl experienced a whooshing feeling as her core appeared to tense and un-tense five times over the length of several minutes. As Beca orgasmed in repeated ecstasy, Chloe proceeded to care for her (impressed at the other girl's stamina and final climax). A warmer and slightly thicker liquid oozed onto her fingers and she felt the girl's core clenching and unclenching in succession.. repeatedly. _Damn,_ both girls thought as they slowly relaxed their breathing and the taller girl retrieved her slender fingers. A bit of Beca's cum on her fingertips, Chloe winked at the nervous-seeming girl before inserting them into her mouth. Slowly sucking her girlfriend's taste and extracting the now-clean fingers, the ginger made an _"mmmmm"_ noise off appreciation. Whispering, she said, "You taste so amazing, Becs", before leaning into and hungrily kissing the recovering brunette. About to reply to the silky voice and passionate kiss more, Beca was prevented from doing so when Jesse's voice shouted over the sound of the hot tub generator.

"Dinner, y'all!"

Groaning with genuine sadness, Beca whispered, "I think I'm hungry for something that's NOT on the menu.." Chloe giggled and bit her lip as the smaller girl stood, displaying her revealing appearance. The brunette stepped out of the hot tub and was reaching to unlock the gate when a voice urgently chimed, "BECA WAIT!"

Turning back, she saw the ginger stood (topless), her hand with Beca's bikini top outstretched. Blushing a little, the brunette walked towards her, "Shit yeah.. Nice boobs by the way."

"Speak for yourself," the ginger winked as she spun the smaller girl around to fasten the stripy top & tie the knot behind her neck. Once Beca seemed to be in a less flushed (yet still slightly shaky), Chloe turned and waited for her turquoise bikini to be secured to her chest.

"Fucking hell," the brunette gasped as she eyed the deep, almost bloody scratches across the other girl's upper back. The red marks were boldest in particular areas from when Beca dug in during her multiple orgasms.. _MULTIPLE!_ The brunette smirked to herself and almost laughed.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked as the quiet girl behind her tentatively fastened the turquoise strings accordingly. Shaking her head almost in despair, the brunette replied, "You clearly lack a pain barrier because it looks like I was digging for gold on your back." Both girls giggled a little, their bright eyes illuminated in one another's contact as the ginger turned to face the smaller girl.

"Okay, can you run and grab my towel for me? Just use the excuse I'm cold," Chloe shrugged as she explained a conclusion for the minor (and somewhat amusing) dilemma. Nodding, Beca disappeared and reappeared within seconds. The ginger tactfully wrapped the towel with light and dark blue swirls patterned on it over her shoulders as the two girls walked over to join their friends. Both had let their wet hair fall down around their faces in an attempt to hide the red marks emerging.

Jesse and Benji were sat admiring the selection of steaming Chinese takeaway as the couple slid onto neighbouring seats at the outside table. Moments later, Emily (also wrapped in a towel for warmth) joined the group from the sauna. A lack of hesitation on all of their faces (even Beca's slightly exhausted expression grinned at the sweet & sour pork tray, Chloe noted happily), the group divided the food up and feasted on it. The piping hot food burned its way through the teenagers' bodies as they hurriedly inserted pieces between their chattering teeth.

* * *

 **12 Minutes Later**

"Now that we've basically finished eating, I propose that it's time (after showers and getting into 'jamjams')," Jesse teased in his authoritative tone, "That we start what I invited you here for: a movie night!"

Beca and Chloe remembered their experience at the cinema the previous night and, lightly blushing, they locked eyes as identically mischievous smiles crept onto their faces.

"So, Emily, do you want to come back around after showering at yours in.. 40 minutes?" the tanned boy suggested to the beaming girl who nodded and skipped through the house to return to her own. Turning his attention to the timid boy opposite him, Jesse continued, "Benji, you can use the shower on the second floor if you'd like?" Giving a thumbs up in agreement, the boy stood and strolled inside.

"And you two," the host brought the two remaining girls out of their 'staring contest', "Do you want to shower separately or together?" He smirked at Beca as she rolled her eyes and Chloe as her eyes twinkled challengingly, "Together", the ginger stated with confidence.

"Wait what?" Beca turned, alarmed, to the girl.

"Seriously?" Jesse asked with excitement.

"Mmhmm," Chloe hummed, "So where are we going?"

"Well my parents are out," the boy pondered, "So you could use their shower? It's more of a wet room.. More spacious."

"Oh don't worry," Chloe whispered, "Beca and I don't need space to produce our own kind of wet room." Winking at the astonished male, the ginger stood and grabbed the gaping brunette's hand to lead her away after picking up her towel from the chair.

"It's the second door on the first floor!" Jesse called after the girls and the ginger gave a nod.

Stopping at the small room where they'd previously gotten changed to collect their bags first, the taller girl proceeded to lead the mesmerised brunette up one flight of stairs and through the second door into Jesse's parents' bedroom, and then another door into the, admittedly, VERY spacious en suite. Beca diligently dropped her bag & towel by the sink next to Chloe's and locked the door before turning to the ginger and whispering, "You are SO sexy, Chloe Beale." She strode forward and pulled the taller girl into a passionate kiss.

Their mouths moulded together and the brunette's finger stroked up the taller girl's spine to rest at the aimed destination. The soft turquoise string in hand, Beca tugged gently and felt it loosen. She then expertly moved her fingers up to the nape of Chloe's neck and repeated the process. The bikini top dropped to the tiled floor between the two girls however neither of them paused. The brunette brought her hands down to rest on the taller girl's rocking hips as she inserted her thigh between Chloe's legs. As she got closer to the ginger's throbbing core, Beca felt slender fingers reach behind her and simultaneously untie and unclip her bikini from her body. The black and white striped garment also fell to the floor.

Chloe pulled back and grinned at the dazed girl before spinning to a switch & dial on the wall behind her and, after a few taps, warm water sprayed from the ceiling. She dragged the brunette and her own body under the steaming water as the smaller girl chuckled and thought ' _Rich people have it so good'._

Their kisses became increasingly passionate and Beca resumed her position where her thigh pushed against the ginger's core as she grinded rhythmically. Lustful moans escaped Chloe's parted lips as the smaller girl started to suck, kiss and nip at the girl's collarbone. Within minutes, the hungry brunette was clamping her lips around the taller girl's heaving left breast, her hand tending to the other methodically. Her tongue licked and tugged at Chloe's erect nipple and the groans got louder. Eventually, Beca kissed her way across and switched to caress the other perky breast. With a satisfactory redness rising from the creamy skin, the brunette knelt and, placing her hands at Chloe's thrusting hips, kissed her way slowly down the ginger's defined (and tensing) abs. Beca revelled in the clear dents and curves in the muscles and aggressively applied her lips to the smooth skin covering the solid bumps.

When she finished working down the abdominals, Beca started to trail her tongue seductively from the taller girl's protruding hip bones inwards to her bikini line poking out from just above her turquoise bottoms. Earning another loud groan of approval, the brunette tucked her index fingers under the fabric and pulled it down. Slightly shakily, Beca breathed heavily as her hands slid around to clutch the other girl's tight yet soft ass and she looked at the pure skin before her. Immediately, the brunette leaned forward and started to kiss and suck from the sensitive bikini line down to the ginger's toned inner thighs. The electrifying contact between the girl's lips and Chloe's tender skin burned through the ginger's body. Gasping, her hands reached down and grasped the smaller girl's brown locks as her defined jawline tilted up towards the water spilling from the ceiling. Chloe's mouth was ajar and she panted heavily while her eyes squeezed shut. Water droplets fell and trickled down her curved neck, however this wasn't where she was wettest.

Having teased for long enough, Beca's kisses brushed against the bare skin surrounding the ginger's drenched flaps. A whisper reached her ears and the brunette smirked a little as she heard Chloe: "Please, Becs." Taking this as a cue, the brunette placed endearing kisses on the trembling girl's core. Slowly, Beca started to poke her tongue out and lick at the warm gap between the flaps. Gaining more confidence from Chloe's clenched grip at her scalp, the brunette stuck her tongue in further and licked with increased vigour. Locating the clit, Beca used her hands' grip on the ginger's ass as she pulled her in closer and started to gently twist her tongue in horizontal movements across the hypersensitive area. Chloe's body shook slightly and her muscles tensed. Her knuckles went white beneath the brunette's wild strands of damp hair. Beca's tongue pressed harder and explored various movements to find one which brought the ginger to an uncontrollably shaking state. The taller girl frowned and almost yelled her moan of appreciation; the acoustics of the wet room causing her noises to bounce and echo. Then, the brunette pushed her tongue with one final flick. Gasping, Chloe felt all of her body restlessly tense and relax as her core throbbed urgently - reaching climax. The smaller girl proceeded to lick eagerly at cum spilling from the ginger's orgasm. Once she'd placed a last kiss on the girl's exposed lower region, Beca rose back up and smiled. Bright blue orbs stared at her and Chloe whispered, "I love you", to which Beca replied, "I love you too, weirdo," before leaning in for a passionate kiss. As their lips embraced, the ginger unclenched her knuckles and slid her hands down to rest on the other girl's neck.

* * *

 **10 Minutes Later**

Their towels wrapped around their otherwise naked and damp bodies, the two girls grinned at one another through the mirror in front of them. After finishing 'cleaning', Beca & Chloe had reluctantly turned off the water and gone about getting ready to meet the others.

"You know," the ginger eyed the bruises from the previous night on her chest combining with the newly emerging marks, "We should probably just tell them." She glanced over and saw the matching red marks emerging on the smaller girl's pearly trapeziuses and collarbone (not-to-mention the small yet dark lovebite just below her left ear).

"Why's that? Jesse already knows and the other two are.. oblivious. Which is weird considering the fact that you had a visible neckline of hickies on your chest in front of them," Beca mused as she dropped her towel, and hurriedly pulled up her red lacy underwear, then her grey sweatpants as coverage to her legs. A blush emerged on the girl's face and Chloe tried to give as much privacy as possible (despite the devilish red fabric tempting her).

"True," Chloe sighed lovingly at the dorky friends they'd possessed, "But you're my ACTUAL girlfriend now, and I wanna show you off to at least our closest friends even if we can't go public." The brunette pulled her baggy black t-shirt over her head and bare torso.

Smiling at this sweet gesture of affection, Beca pretended to pout grumpily and huff as she replied, "If you insist.. girlfriend". Chloe beamed and bounced on the spot a little before going back to straightening out her red & navy long-sleeved top and adjusting her navy short-shorts' waistband.

"By the way," Beca chuckled and admired the exposed legs next to her, "Do you EVER wear anything other than shorts as pyjamas?"

"Yes," Chloe pondered cheekily, "In the Summer I sometimes just wear a nightie." She winked at the blushing girl to her side.

* * *

 **15 Minutes Later**

The couple joyfully pranced downstairs and peeked in the open doorways for their friends.

"Becaw, is that your tiny feet I hear?" a familiar voice called from the large kitchen. Grinning, Jesse turned from the microwave as it popped sweet-smelling corn to look at the two girls.

"Benji's helping Emily carry her sleeping stuff over," he offered as an explanation before continuing with a smirk, "Sounded like you two were.. testing out the acoustics of the WET room." He winked and both girls (especially Chloe) blushed. Narrowing his eyes playfully at this, Jesse kept going, "Ahh, so Ginga Ninja, YOU'RE the screamer! Don't worry; it was only vaguely audible on the landing and in my room. At least now I know that either my parents keep it in their bed or are both quiet." He laughed to himself and turned back to glance at the popcorn.

"Actually Jesse," Beca spoke up as she reached for and interlocked her fingers with the ginger's, squeezing them lightly, "I.. We wanted to announce that.. Well, Chloe's my girlfriend."

Rolling his eyes as he grinned at the girls over his shoulder, the tanned boy replied, "About time you two admitted you're smitten for one another! The rest of us were taking bets on when you'd tell us."

"Wait, what?" Both girls frowned.

"Oh come on, you two aren't exactly subtle.. And Chloe was basically wearing a necklace of hickies earlier; doesn't take a genius to put two and two together!"

Gaping still, Chloe cleared her throat and spoke, "Jesse, we want our closest friends involved but.. But we're not ready for everyone." Her bright eyes had a look of concern and the boy smiled with reassurance in his tone, "Don't worry Ginga, they won't hear a peep from any of us."

Nodding gratefully, the ginger turned her attention the two teenagers awkwardly carrying bedding through the front door. Wincing slightly at Benji & Emily's lack of navigation, Chloe dropped her bag and jogged to help them.

Beca slowly walked up to the boy as he emptied the fresh popcorn into a large tub and set the next one to cook. She smiled, "So, you know you're, like, my best friend." He looked her dead in the eyes and replied, "Oh I know Becaw, but thanks for saying it", and smiled back before adding, "You're mine too, dude". They shared the moment amid the strong smell of sweetness before the other three entered.

"Benji, we both owe Emily a limited edition comic.. She won the bet!" Jesse called over casually. Immediately, Emily pumped her fist in the air and the others laughed as she started a celebratory dance.

"Wait," the tall girl stopped, "So, you two are like a couple now?"

"Still a secret in the eye of general public," Chloe explained, "But yeah, we are." She looked over and smiled genuinely at the small brunette, her eyes crinkling.

"Congrats, guys!" Emily beamed as she jumped over and hugged the ginger before skipping across the room to do the same to the awkward girl stood by Jesse.

"Yeah, that's really cool," Benji said timidly, though he looked genuinely happy for the two girls.

"Just try and keep it down while the rest of us are trying to watch the films," Jesse winked before tipping the other bag of fresh popcorn into the large tub.

"Ooh, which films?" the ginger enthusiastically asked - her eyes sparkling with adorable excitement.

"Well, we needed a superhero film to satisfy my speciality.. So we'll start with 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'".

"Best Marvel film EVER," Chloe sang in return as Jesse opened a bag of jelly snakes and poured it into another bowl.

"Then.. I'm thinking either properly action (so a 'Fast & Furious') or properly comedy (so 'We're The Millers')," he opened another bag and let the contents of sweets drop into the same blue bowl.

"Umm.. May I please vote comedy, I LOVE that film!" the ginger chimed, Beca wondrously admiring the girl's sweet tone as the actual content of conversation flew over her head.

"Maybeeee.." Jesse grinned, "And I thought we could drift into a deep sleep with the one and only CLASSIC 'The Breakfast Club'. What d'ya think?"

"Sounds like a plan," the ginger gleamed.

* * *

 **30 Minutes Later**

They all entered the Swanson family's 'Home Cinema' room. It took up the entire attic floor and was the perfect setting, with only a couple of roof windows at the far end of the room. Jesse quickly attended to these, opening the windows for fresh air while also pulling down and fastening their black-out blinds. Benji, Chloe & Beca gawked at what lay before them. The white walls were plain yet had the smell of fresh paint and one of the walls had a large white screen attached to it. Attached to the ceiling, a large and modern white projector hung, pointing at the white screen. A black 2-seat leather sofa with low arm rests was leant sideways against the wall, a pillow at the end nearest to the windows (indicating that someone could lie down and see the screen beyond their feet). On the floor, three large black leather bean bags, matching the sofa, sunk into the thick cream carpet.

"It's pretty cool, right?" Emily mused at her three friends' expressions as she bounced forward (her pink duvet in her arms), "I bagsy the sofa!"

The puppy-like girl skipped to the furniture and lay out her duvet, slipping under it in her matching pink pyjama t-shirt and trousers. Jesse, in his plain white tee and green cargo-patterned shorts lunged onto the bean bag nearest to the screen after placing the bowls of popcorn and jelly snakes down. He got into a comfortable position, sighed and called out, "This one's mine!" Benji tossed the tanned boy's grey fluffy blanket over his face and took the bean bag next to him. In his stripy blue long-sleeved top and black joggers, the curly haired boy wrapped his Star Wars blanket around his body. Pretending to do a magic trick, he jokingly produced another large bowl of sweets and chocolate. Grinning at the set-up, Chloe tugged Beca's wrist towards the remaining bean bag. The ginger set down the additional two bowls of treats before dropping down and pulling the smaller girl with her into the soft yet firm texture of the bean bag. Yelping slightly in surprise, Beca clung onto the cream duvet she'd been carrying and the top corner flew over them, covering their faces. Finding herself lying directly on top of the ginger, the brunette smirked and leaned forward to give Chloe a quick, secretive peck before rising. She adjusted the thick duvet and herself so that she was propped next to the dazed girl. Beca then reached over to hand Emily a bowl and wedged the remaining bowl between herself and her girlfriend.

Jesse stood facing them mockingly, his blanket round his shoulders as a song played purposefully from his phone. As the chorus hit, the tanned boy sang along and pushed his arms out to imitate the opening of a jacket with his blanket substitute.

"It feels like the first time," He shouted gleefully towards his laughing friends, "It feels like the very first time! It feels like the first time!" His voice increased a little in pitch and the others admired his vocal talent. After he'd finished making fun of the girls, Jesse turned to a laptop in the corner of the room and enlisted Benji's help setting up the projector.

"Becs," Chloe whispered to the girl inches from her face, "That was my first time.. with a girl." Her bright blue orbs looked into the brunette's intense eyes before the other girl spoke, "You were incredible, Chlo.. I've never (and I mean NEVER) had multiple err.. You know.. Orgasms before." A wide smile crinkled at the ginger's eyes as she joked, "In a way that was a first time for both of us then."

"Baby, that WAS our first time together," Beca smirked confidently as the news settled on the other girl's beautiful face.

An advert started to blast through surround-sound speakers and Chloe snuggled closer to the brunette, resting her head on the girl's chest in the darkness.


	19. Oh Mother

**A/N The next chapter is here! I need to give a couple of warnings: 1) My workload is increasing again so daily updates are less likely - though ditching this project isn't going to happen! 2) I know that some of the previous chapters have tackled some more emotionally troubling subjects to do with mental health among other controversial topics, however I feel it necessary to stress that this one may cause particular upset. Other than that, I hope you all look forward to the story!**

* * *

 **Friday Evening**

"Thanks for meeting me despite your busy schedule," Chloe smiled, slightly nervous, at the girl opposite her as she slid into the booth. It was located in the quietest corner of Boston Tea Party, creating a more private atmosphere. Two hot chocolates rested on the table, marshmallows melting into the liquid surreptitiously.

"That's okay," the blonde smiled back, "I'm sure the school paper can survive ONE evening without me."

"So, your messages last week confused me a little.. About Beca and I?" Chloe pressed, a small frown creasing on her forehead.

Nodding, Aubrey replied bluntly, "I'm aware of yours and Beca's.. relations. I heard you whispering your love to one another at Stacie's when we had that sleepover-"

"Actually, about that," the ginger apologetically interrupted, "I err.. I asked Beca to be my girlfriend officially, and she said yes. We're keeping it quiet (obviously) but we want our closest friends to know."

"Congratulations," the other girl was curt and a stern expression set on her face.

"No need to celebrate it," Chloe muttered, irritation scraping on her tongue with each word as her bright eyes narrowed slightly.

Sighing, the blonde looked down before making eye contact a few seconds later, "I'm sorry. I just.. I don't want to see you get hurt. Does she even know how fragile you are still?"

Fury burned its way through the ginger's body and sparkled in her eyes as she responded, "She knows all about Tom," spitting the name, "If that's what you're referencing."

"And your mother?"

The fire immediately died and Chloe's eyes went dead as she dropped her head and intertwined her fingers tightly. Observing the lack of a verbal answer and making her own conclusion, Aubrey pursued with a more gentle tone.

"I think she needs to know, Chloe."

"Why?" the ginger exclaimed, angry and upset, "Can't I just enjoy loving someone who loves me for me and not my past? Or is that too much to ask?!"

"But Chlo," the blonde sighed at the solemn words as she spoke them, "Your past is what moulds you into who you are now - into who Beca's in love with. She needs to know you're fragile."

"So that she can 'handle me with care' and treat me like a porcelain doll, you mean?" the ginger mocked.

"No," Aubrey spoke slowly in order to maintain her calm composure, "So that she knows how to be there for you."

"Can't you see that telling her that stuff is only likely to make her run?" A small tear eased its way from Chloe's gleaming eyes and the blonde reached her hand across to rest on the other girl's shaking, intertwined fingers.

"Chlo, if she runs then she's not the person you're in love with," she took a breath, "And judging by how she looks at you in awe, I don't think she's the type to run from love as soon as it gets a little tough."

"But," Chloe blubbered as tears freely streaked their way down her face, "She's the one who needs ME right now, I can't burden her with concern for me."

"I understand that she's likely to be going through stuff right now, but who the hell isn't?! Beca needs to know, otherwise how can she truly be there for you?"

There was silence other than the frequent sniffle in response. The blonde continued in her softer voice, "What about when it's the lead up to the.. 'anniversary'? Surely you want your girlfriend to at least understand why you may not be at your best. And now that you're at Barden, I won't be able to come and hug you after getting through every lesson or let you copy my notes after classes where you've left to be on your own. You need a support system."

"I sound like a nervous wreck," Chloe laughed lightly at Aubrey's description, "Bree, you're my best friend and I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for what you've done for me all of these years."

"You just did," the other girl smiled into the bright twinkling eyes. A pause extended into a silence as both girls moved their hands to their drinks and Chloe focused on calming her breathing. After taking a sip from the steaming mug, the ginger accepted a napkin Aubrey offered and gently wiped her tear-stained cheeks.

"You're not a nervous wreck," the blonde spoke quietly as she stared into her mug, "You don't keep yourself occupied 24/7 just so that you're always too busy to look at what you've become. You don't live with someone who strips you of all happiness when you could quite easily just leave. You don't bow out or give up. You're not weak or a nervous wreck, Chlo."

"And neither are you," the ginger sympathetically smiled over at the upset girl opposite her, "You're strong, determined, brave, beautiful, intelligent, talented, AND the best friend I've ever had and probably will ever have. What you do for your friends takes loyalty to a WHOLE new level of commitment; it doesn't go unappreciated - and nor do you."

"Thank you," Aubrey smiled and her sad eyes lit up a little. The two girls proceeded to drink their hot chocolates for a few more minutes before speaking again.

Chloe, pondering slightly, spoke, "Beca's not ready to hear ALL of it yet. My past is a mess at best, and I don't want to accidentally drag her in before she's even agreed. However, you do make some valid points and I'll tell her some stuff."

"Okay, I'll settle for that," Aubrey smiled before a sincere thought occurred, "But what about when you introduce her as your girlfriend to your dad.. He might take her aside and want to explain a few things."

"By then, she'll already know the majority if not all of it; I'll make sure of that. But Beca seems to progress and cope best with baby steps."

"If this is a reference to your intimate love life I'd prefer to be left out," the blonde said in a light-hearted tone as she jokingly wrinkled her nose.

"Actually," Chloe started to grin, "I was referencing some stuff she's been overcoming recently. Now that you mention it though, the escalation of our.. intimate experiences DEFINITELY haven't been baby steps!" She chuckled at the horrified expression on her uptight friend's face.

"She's not using you, is she?" Aubrey asked sternly once the joke had worn off.

"No," Chloe shook her head to emphasise her point, "Becs has been treated badly before and would never use someone like that.. or any way to be honest."

"Good," the blonde nodded (her tight ponytail bobbing slightly), "Though not the fact that she's had negative experiences."

"She's managing to cope with it but thanks," Chloe smiled, "I've missed our catch-ups, Bree."

"Me too," Aubrey smiled - her perfectly symmetrical white teeth gleaming, "So I think you should update me on how everything's going, and all of the details to your new relationship! Though maybe leave out the sex.." Her authoritative tone was overpowered by the genuine, girly excitement in her face as it lit up.

"Okay.. So when I asked Beca out on our first date," the ginger's eyes gleamed as she recalled details of the event, "And as perfect as it was I just felt so conflicted. Like, I already knew I wasn't straight and that Beca was amazing, but I'd been suppressing those thoughts about myself for so long that it didn't feel right to just jump into something. I was worried that I'd changed and was using this girl to just get something out of my system; it coincided with when I was having a low mood. I'd had feelings towards Beca basically since I first met her in October - and had felt a surge of almost.. betrayal at Stacie's New Year's party when I saw Beca with some other girl. That's wh-"

"Wait, Beca was with someone else only like two weeks beforehand?!" Aubrey interrupted, partially shocked.

"Oh it was actually just her friend and.. not what it looked like," Chloe brushed off and continued, "Anyway, that's why Stacie's sleepover was kind of weird. I'd decided to just be Beca's friend, yet I had an overwhelming urge to make sure she was never unhappy. Therefore, when Beca had to kiss me in that stupid game of 'Truth or Dare' it kind of clarified all of my feelings towards her and how serious they were. I'm sorry you heard what you did that night; it's fair enough that it shocked and worried you. However, I'm kind of trying to explain in this update that I HAVE thought hard about the various issues surrounding myself/us before stepping into it."

"I can see that," the blonde smiled back before asking excitedly, "So what has happened since the sleepover to make you two 'official'?"

"Well, last week Beca took me on our second date and it was better than I could have ever anticipated! She somehow used the tiniest bits of information I'd mentioned in our previous conversations from MONTHS beforehand. Like, Bree, she's so attentive and caring - I love her SO, SO much."

"And this perfect date was..? Oh God, don't answer that if it was sleazy (like your fantasies)!" Aubrey giggled as Chloe pretended to frown and pout at the girl.

"I mean.. it started innocently sweet," the ginger winked at the blushing blonde, "Beca took me and bought us dinner at Patisserie Valerie. I know you may think it's an 'unprofessional' choice but-"

"But you have a major sweet tooth, and usually complain how the main dish fills you up and prevents you from enjoying the dessert of a meal," Aubrey sighed as she admitted with her nodding head how thoughtful the brunette's choice really was.

"Precisely!" Chloe gleamed, "And after that, she (despite being a low key movie-hater like you) took me to the CINEMA! And she chose the perfect film for us."

"Ah, what made the film perfect?"

"Umm.. That's where the date becomes LESS innocent and more like a fantasy," the ginger bit her bottom lip at the memory.

"Enough," the other girl grimaced and shook her head with her eyes squinted shut, as if to rid her mind of the unwanted thoughts.

"Did you enjoy the brief love story?" Chloe beamed.

"Of course, I realise that Beca actually cares for you and that she makes you, my best friend, happy," Aubrey smiled brightly.

"Aww, Bree! Love ya a million," the ginger reached across the table and rested her hands around the other girl's against the almost-empty mug.

 _Flash_

"Whoa, what was that?" Chloe looked over to see a broad figure in a cap, dark hoodie and jeans walking out of the front door.

"What?" Aubrey questioned.

"Umm.. I don't know, it was like a flashing light or something," the ginger answered slowly as her narrowed eyes scanned the remainder of the café-restaurant.

"Maybe it was dodgy lighting or something," the blonde nonchalantly replied as the other girl brought her focus back to their table and they smiled at one another.

"Thanks for listening and everything, Bree," Chloe squeezed the other girl's hands comfortingly.

"That's what friends are for, right?" the girl replied happily, "Which reminds me, when we get back to mine are you going to let me try that new plait out on you? Your hair is just so easy to work with!"

"That's what friends are for, Bree!" the ginger imitated gleefully. A question appeared in the girl's mind, "By the way, how'd you know that (some of) my fantasies are sleazy?"

"I'm your best friend, of course I know that! Plus," Aubrey lowered her voice and grinned, "You mutter in your sleep sometimes."

"Wait what?! You've NEVER told me that!" Chloe was slightly aghast, her brain whirring at the thought of what her best friend, among others, may have heard her speak in her sleep.

"Don't worry, it's not an often occurrence," the blonde giggled, "I think it happens more when you're in a really deep sleep. You don't say much anyway; it's HOW you say it that I know it's sleazy."

"Any examples spring to mind?" the ginger raised her eyebrows at the girl almost in fits of laughter opposite her.

"Umm.." Aubrey's lungs fought for air through her giggles, "You're into role play, right? And by that I mean the sleazy 'professor-bad student'/'doctor-patient', etc."

Chloe's cheeks turned into a deep crimson and her light freckles disappeared as she winced a little at the words being spoken aloud, her bottom lip being bitten harder. Sighing after a moment's silence, she asked, "What have I said to give you that idea?"

"I think my favourite was probably when you said something like 'No, professor, give me a D out of class'. You like to dominate a bit too in your words."

"Okay, please tell me that I've never said anything worse than that out loud," Chloe had her hands covering her overheating face as her mind raced to think of all the dreams she'd had which incorporated her more secret fantasies."

"I don't know, I forget. But you've only done it like three or four times. Also, it's always been when you've stayed round mine: never anywhere else like Stacie's.. Maybe you just sleep REALLY well at my house and that's why you don't wake when you talk."

"How loudly am I saying this stuff?" the blushing girl peeked with her bright blue orbs through her fingers.

"Oh, you only mutter them," the blonde brushed off before frowning, "You did shout a couple of times one night but it didn't sound like anything dirty. You like rolled over, shouted 'avocado', then rolled back."

"Oh God.." Chloe groaned and closed her eyes.

"Why? Does that mean something?"

Closing her eyes after her hands dropped, a deeper blush spread across the ginger's face and neck as she whispered, "It's umm.. It's my safeword." Laughter danced its way across the table from Aubrey's side as Chloe slowly looked over to see her friend's amusement.

"Okay, let's go blondie," the mortified yet slightly bemused ginger stood and helped her friend (still giggling and mumbling about the odd word choice) to her feet.

* * *

 **Sunday Afternoon**

"Hey, sexy," Chloe winked as the smaller girl walked up to her in the same park as from their first date.

"Hey yourself," Beca smirked as she slinked her arms around the ginger's waist to pull her in for a brief hug in the busy yet oblivious crowds of people. They settled down onto the emerald grass, Beca lying flat in her light skinnies and green checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up and hands clasped behind her head. As clouds whisked in front of the sun, the brunette closed her eyes and smiled at the grey light above. Chloe, in her white blouse and pastel pink mini skirt with her brown knee-length cowgirl boots, lay down at a right angle to the other girl. The ginger rested her head against her girlfriend's body, using Beca's tight abs as a pillow. Glancing her icy blue eyes up at the brunette's satisfied expression, she smiled at the adorable girl before turning her face up to the sky and closing her eyes as well.

"You enjoying the absence of warm sunlight?" the ginger gleamed.

"Mmhmm, hell yeah, baby!" Beca replied through her rosy lips.

"You enjoying our alone time together?" Chloe pursued in her silky voice.

"Yeah it's making up for not seeing you SINCE FRIDAY! Like nearly 48 hours is too long, dude," the smaller joked but an amount of truth rang through her answer.

"Sorry about that, Aubrey and I hung out Friday evening through to yesterday. We had a lot to catch-up on."

"Like her trying to convince you not to date me?" Beca smirked jokingly.

"Actually, at first it was kind of like that. But then I explained how perfect you are and she just convinced me that I need to talk to you about some stuff if this is.. If we're serious."

The brunette changed position slightly to prop her upper body up on her elbows and look down at the other girl. Chloe's eyes opened as she felt the shift and she turned her head to make eye contact with the intense orbs.

"What stuff do you need to tell me?" A look of concern was spreading across the smaller girl's face and she was speaking somewhat quietly, all of her previous smug confidence and jokiness gone.

"It's nothing bad," the ginger's bright eyes widened as she tried to offer reassurance, "Aubrey just made me realise that I should probably tell you about how my.. About my mum."

"Oh, okay. Are you ready for that?" Beca was no longer concerned for their relationship: she was concerned for Chloe's wellbeing and how resurfacing painful memories could hurt her.

"Becs, I'll never really be ready to talk about it, however it's important you know because.. Because then you'll understand why certain things are hard for me." Her wide eyes searched the brunette's face for any signs of discomfort.

"Do you want to walk and talk.. Or stay here.. Or go elsewhere?" the smaller girl queried softly.

"Umm.. Stay here? People are leaving now anyway, so we'll soon have the place to ourselves and a few dog walkers."

"Okay, I'll do my best to just listen and not interrupt your flow. Take your time and you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to at this point," Beca soothed gently. Chloe smiled genuinely, "Thanks Beca, if it's alright I'm just going to explain about my mum today. There's other stuff to know about me and my family after her passing.. But I.." She died off and frowned at a lack of explanation.

"All in good time," the brunette smiled patiently and returned to her original position of looking at the sky as Chloe closed her eyes and prepared to speak.

"My Aunt Maggie has always been ill; ever since she was a child. She umm.. She and my mum were born identical twins. My mum was born first, primarily because there were complications with my aunt's birth (most doctors were surprised that they'd both lived throughout the pregnancy as my aunt had such a low birth weight). The fact that there were birth complications is important for what happened later on, that's why I'm telling you," the ginger took a deep breath, "So, both Aunt Maggie and Mum were slower than usual at developing motor skills (like talking, walking, etc.). Doctors and my grandparents didn't think anything of it because, firstly, my grandma was slow at developing when she was young, and secondly, the doctors suggested it was due to the birth complications. However, once Aunt Maggie had learned to walk and speak a bit, she started to do weird things like compulsive rocking of her body. My grandparents took her to the doctors to be tested for being autistic, but she came away being diagnosed as normal on the autism spectrum. Because they were their only children, my grandparents didn't realise until I was born that both my mum and aunt had been more withdrawn from family and friends growing up than was ordinary. For Aunt Maggie, it was added to the list of symptoms to her mental illness. For Mum, it was discarded as her just being a shy person for some reason. When they were teenagers, Aunt Maggie started to kind of go off the rails; she had depression and used substance abuse along with dropping out of school as a way to numb her pain. To be honest, that's probably why when she started to show more symptoms like hallucinations, delusions about being harassed, and showing childlike silliness one minute compared to unpredictable agitation the next no one noticed it for what it was. Aunt Maggie moved away abroad, losing touch with the family when she became an adult. Everything for my mum was okay in her twenties; she was engaged to my dad and they were expecting me. I mean, she'd experienced an amount of stress when her best friend from childhood decided to stop talking to her just because my parents were having an illegitimate child - but this was manageable as an issue on its own." Chloe opened her eyes to look at the grey sky as she frowned, "A week before my due date, my grandpa had a heart attack. This caused my mum (who was dealing with this AND her pregnancy without a support system of many friends anymore) to get even more stressed. Luckily, she managed to give birth to me on time and there wasn't a problem there. However, two days after I was born, her dad had a second heart attack in the middle of the night. He died. Doctors assessed her a couple of months after I'd been born because she apparently wasn't herself. They concluded that she didn't have pre-natal depression, but that the HUGE amount of stress and recent bereavement were having a psychological impact on her. Certain neurotransmitters (including dopamine and serotonin) had changed their levels in her brain it seemed from her behaviour. Due to the death of their dad, Aunt Maggie somehow found out and returned. My dad convinced both of them to have some tests done and, with the help of my grandma digging up examples of their childhood schoolwork, etc. doctors FINALLY gave a diagnosis. Turns out, Aunt Maggie had been suffering with schizophrenia her whole life and, because identical twins have 100% equal DNA, Mum had had a 48% chance of also having the disease from childhood. Despite this high percentage, my mum was lucky and didn't. However, if someone experiences large levels of stress in their life it can cause psychological triggers for schizophrenia with people who potentially carry it in their genes. So, the environmental and genetic factors led to Mum developing pretty sudden and severe schizophrenia. My parents tried drugs to sort the altered neurotransmitter levels but nothing was enough. Her stress levels rose after Ethan was born and even worse after Charlie. Everything just got really bad; her thinking was all over the place. Like, one minute she'd be singing songs with me the way we used to when I was really young," silent tears streamed down the ginger's face, "And then the next she'd be screaming at an empty space while hurling objects at it. We all just made the most of the good and survived the bad. The only friend I brought round to see my family was Aubrey because I.. I hate to admit it but I was embarrassed and worried what people would think of me if they knew my mum wasn't normal. I loved her some days and wanted nothing to do with her others. On Sunday 14th March, 2010, I came downstairs from my room. It was mid-morning and my dad had taken the boys to the park to play football in the sun. I got an apple from the fridge and was walking back up to my room when I heard saw some weird liquid pouring from under the bathroom door. It wasn't clear like water. I walked towards the door and knocked. There was no reply over the loud noise of pouring water. I thought," a dark chuckle escaped her lips, "I thought that maybe Mum had fallen asleep or gone out and forgotten about leaving the bath with a reddish bath bomb running. The door was unlocked when I tried it - I opened and had to push it against something heavy. My socks were soaked through as I stepped inside and saw the empty bath with clear water overflowing from the sides. Mum.. She was slumped against the door, crying. One of her hands was.. There was an open pair of sharp nail scissors covered in blood. Her forearms were gaping open.. Pouring.. The blood was so thick and red.. It only thinned when it combined with the bath water to make a paler substance around her. I dropped my apple and didn't realise I'd been screaming until I'd stopped to hear my mum whispering. She was saying over and over 'Make them stop, make the voices stop'. I tried to shake her, get her to open her eyes and answer me. She.. She didn't even say my name. I used towels to try and stop the blood from spilling but it just soaked through. I couldn't even.. I had the opportunity to save her and instead stayed in my room all morning. An hour or so after her lips had lost their colour and her body had started to cool, Dad got home. My voice couldn't even scream when I tried. The water was still running and he shortly arrived to see what was spilling onto the stairs. And that.. That's the story of my mum."

"Chloe," a quiet voice whispered.

"Yeah?" the crying girl replied; her blurry eyes still facing the dark sky and her voice cracking lightly.

"I love you unconditionally, Chlo."

"Th- Thank you, B- Becs. I love y- you too."

The smaller girl shifted her weight to prop the shaking ginger up enough to be seated. Her thin arms wrapped around Chloe's waist and pulled her closer along the blades of grass into the brunette's safe hold. A complete lack of words were exchanged as the taller girl silently trembled and tears streamed down her high cheekbones. Even in her state, Beca couldn't help but admire her girlfriend's beauty. Once a few minutes had passed and Chloe's ragged breathing had calmed a little, the brunette gently lifted her thumb and forefinger to the other girl's angular chin. She turned the tear-streaked face towards her intense gaze and swiftly wiped the water from the ginger's cheeks. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward and tenderly placed her lips against Chloe's. Their kiss was passionate and loving, urgent and cautious, deliberate and clumsy. Their love was truly conveyed in that moment, and it felt endless to both girls.

 _Ping_

 _Ping_

 _Ping_

Both of the teenagers' phones started to erupt with message notifications, but they ignored it all as dusk set in the darkening sky. Both Chloe & Beca longed for the exchange to last forever.

Finally (and reluctantly) breaking the kiss, the two girls glanced at their phone screens. Simultaneously, their eyes widened and they muttered under their breath.

"Oh, shit."


	20. The Sun Will Come Out

**A/N Hey guys, thank you for all of your support, it really inspires my writing! I hope you enjoy this chapter and stay tuned for the next one (I'm yet again travelling for a few days but am hoping to actually write it during these journeys so that it's ready for publication in a few days!)**

* * *

 **Monday Morning (Pre-School)**

"Dad, come on! I don't want to be late for Chl- class prep," the brunette whined at the front door to Dr Mitchell as he walked from the kitchen with his briefcase and flask of fresh coffee.

"Beca, I don't think I've ever seen you so eager to get to school on a Monday.. And so EARLY!" he marvelled at his daughter's enthusiasm and impatience as they marched toward the car through the strong winds and rising sunlight.

"I have some stuff I need to get done, and I don't want my grades to drop, do I?" Beca replied with the pretext nonchalantly as she worriedly checked the messages on her phone.

* * *

 **25 Minutes Later**

"I'm so sorry, I tried to get him to speed but he was too uptight to break a few laws for my excuses about school," Beca frantically explained as she sat down next to the ginger in their tutor room. The lights were only on at the front, and Chloe's bright orbs glistened in the shadows at their desk. Other than them, the room was empty.

"Baby, relax," the ginger breathed as she displayed her dazzling smile. Her right hand reached out and rested atop the smaller girl's; halting Beca's nervously tapping left-hand fingers. She stroked with her right index finger, the golden ring gliding across the brunette's pale skin.

"So," the smaller girl cleared her throat and glanced over with her intense gaze, "Did you figure out what all of the messages actually meant?"

"Mmhmm," Chloe hummed happily before explaining, "Basically, you know how Stacie asked whether I was cheating on you?" Beca nodded, "She then sent the picture of me holding Aubrey's hands to comfort her (though it isn't visibly her - just a blonde) and asked who they were. I admit that whoever took the photo (my thoughts are Tom) has really made me look like I'm gazing at my one true love. Ironically, the reason I look so happy is because my best friend had just said that she accepted my girlfriend as being caring and able to make me happy: I was thinking of you.. I guess the original description is accurate. Anyway, so Stacie is doing her best to qualm the rumours but there's only so much she can say without shining a further spotlight on her.. and then, inevitably, you."

"Therefore, the messages were just yet another rumour concerning your love life and sexuality being spread?" the brunette queried, less concerned now for the lack of proof or potential issues which could arise for their relationship. _They'd dealt with rumours already, how hard could another be?_ Beca thought contentedly.

"Well, yes and no," the ginger appeared to uncomfortably squirm a little in her seat, "Stace has managed to message people assuring them that I'm not dating the blonde in the photo, but they no longer care about that. One of her mutual friends on the football team apparently saw me (or a ginger who looked like me) kissing with a dark-haired girl in the park yesterday as the sun was setting. They were walking their dog with their girlfriend apparently on the pedestrian path and there wasn't enough light to get a photo. However, the fact that there are two witnesses saying it within 24 hours of the previous rumour seems to give it validity. Meaning.." Her voice died off and she looked down.

"Meaning..?!" Beca pressed, the intonation in her voice rising with fear.

"Meaning that," Chloe sighed, "People are branding me as a promiscuous/slutty lesbian, while also trying to deduce who my blonde and dark-haired lovers are. Luckily, the current rumour of the second girl seems to describe her as having (dyed) black hair."

"Okay, do you know anyone who matches this description to throw them off the scent?" the smaller girl pondered, trying to find a slither of reassurance in the situation.

"Umm.. I mean, Lilly has black hair? If it was dark enough the witnesses may not have noticed a difference in the length of hers compared to yours? But then again, she's always quiet and blends into the background too well," the ginger thought aloud.

"Maybe you should organise another big meet-up? Have everyone as a group in public? Like, in town?"

"That's a good idea, Becs," the taller girl responded slowly as a smile grew on her face, "By the way, what were the messages you received on Sunday?"

"Oh, it was completely unrelated to this school shit. Just the horrid reminder that I have relatives visiting soon. This of course means that I have to endure a whole day and night with these aliens, forced to pretend to be someone I'm not. And Jess is likely to be back in France with her freedom, leaving me to suffer alone."

"What if you get me invited?" Chloe chimed.

"How so?" Beca quirked a brow at the tempting-yet-questionable suggestion.

"Well, you said yourself that your dad rarely let's your friends drop formalities with him, yet he did with me. For whatever reason, he seems to see me as a good influence and friend to you. So, what if you could get me invited? It'd increase his good reputation with the relatives by proving his daughter has a friend who isn't a delinquent, and I can help you to keep your cool around these assholes."

"You know what, Beale? You're a genius, I love you, and if we didn't have to be careful I would definitely kiss you right now," Beca unlocked her phone and started typing, "I'm going to start putting the idea in Dad's & Sheila's heads right now. You mind me saying we have a homework assignment we're helping each other on for English?"

"Baby, say anything you like, I just want more time with my girlfriend," the ginger beamed like an overexcited child as she spoke in her seductive tone. Smirking though not glancing up, the smaller girl replied, "You know we can't, like, do anything with everyone staying over for the night.. Right?"

"If you say so, but I'll do what I can to make it worth your while - no matter what," Chloe silkily responded and winked at the gaping girl looking over at her.

"Please tell me you bought that nurse's outfit," Beca joked (and subconsciously licked her lips).

"Umm.. I haven't actually, but I do have some other costumes from Halloweens and themed parties you might approve of."

"Wait," the brunette shook her head in an attempt to rid her mind of the lustful thoughts, "We still can't do anything while my family are unwittingly bound to burst into my room every 10 or so minutes."

"Noted," the other girl nodded diligently, "Surprises and that other stuff can happen another time. So, when are your relatives visiting?"

"Umm.. This Saturday at midday through until Sunday afternoon. You going to need some mental preparation time? I definitely do.."

"Well, we could do the group meet-up Friday evening and then you could stay over at mine? Say we're working on the English assignment but will get to yours in plenty of time before your relatives are due."

"Hmm," Beca pondered the suggestion as she contemplated the logistics, "I mean, it's certainly rocking the boat a little and chancing the opportunity for you to stay the Saturday.. Not-to-mention how it emphasises the amount of time we'll be spending together.. But he might agree if it's for schoolwork."

"To tackle the whole alone-time-with-me thing, why don't you tell him Stacie is staying round Friday to show us what she's doing for the project?" Chloe secretly was only pushing the potential plans because she wanted at least an evening with Beca before the stressful experience of relatives. A whole Friday night and Saturday morning seemed a good stretch of hours for her to keep the brunette.. relaxed and in her best form for tackling the events remaining that weekend. Plus, Chloe would be able to meet the relatives without them being aware of her intimate relationship to Beca; she wanted the opportunity to see these people for who they really were.

"Your persistence is persuading me, let's just hope it does the same thing to my dad," the brunette smiled at her girlfriend before adding a second text to her conversation with Dr Mitchell.

 _Ping_

"Chlo," Beca frowned at the text before looking up to the wide eyes waiting expectantly, "My dad wants to know your address for dropping me off Friday, and also whether you have any dietary requirements for Saturday that Sheila should know about." A wide grin spread across both girls' faces and they stared at one another in complete glee as students poured in just in time for the morning bell.

* * *

 **Lunch Time**

"Hey, look! It's the two turtle doves!" the tanned boy exclaimed in mock surprise, speaking over his shoulder to Emily and Benji as the trio carried their trays of food to the table.

"Becaw and Ginga have saved US a table? We are honoured, Your Majesties!" Jesse proceeded to joke as he slid onto one of the uncomfortable seats. Benji sat quietly next to the enthusiastic boy and Emily set down her tray on the surface before turning towards the other brunette girl.

"Umm.. Beca? Would it be okay if I talked to you alone.. Please?" the taller girl asked hesitantly, a look of concern spreading across her face.

"Yeah, sure Em," the other girl casually replied. Beca diligently stood without making a sarcastic remark (despite her mind wanting to) and followed the younger girl out of the doors to the canteen and around the corner of the building to a quiet section outside. Beca's voice broke the silence as she observed the other girl looking at down at her shifting feet in the blue and white spotted converse low-tops, "You okay, dude?"

"Well.. I err..," Emily took a deep breath before making eye contact with the worried and intense orbs, "I know that we chatted a bit about what happened at New Year's but.. But we never really finished that chat." Nodding in understanding, the older girl guided her friend to join her at a nearby bench.

"Okay, well where d'you wanna start?" Beca asked patiently.

"So.. You explained before how I was likely to have been feeling betrayed because of the whole Benji thing and that you may have accidentally given some misleading signs while trying to comfort me," the listening teenager nodded as she processed and agreed with the recap, "And I told you that I was just confused and.. And probably had a 'schoolgirl crush' because you've been such a cool friend.. Plus you're pretty and clever, etc. Anyway, I've been doing a lot of thinking and I know I was muddled about some stuff when that whole thing happened, but I'm not wrong about my preferences.. Am I making sense?"

"Umm.. Emily, are you.. coming out to me?" Beca spoke quietly and with a lack of judgement in her tone, simply a wish to clarify she'd understood.

"I guess so, yeah," the taller girl beamed as she felt a weight lift from her shoulders, "I mean, I'm still not sure I'm ready to date or anything like that but yeah - man, that feels good! Whooo!" She exulted in the freeing sensation shooting through her lanky body and was about to do her celebratory dance when the other girl spoke.

"Well, you'll find the right girl. And.. And when you meet her, you'll see how perfect she is in your eyes; no matter what anyone may try to tell you. When that happens, I recommend you just try and seize the opportunity."

"Umm.. What.. What if New Year's was me trying to seize the opportunity?"

"Who'd you meet at New- Ohhhh," Beca's confused frown dissolved as she breathed realisation and her eyes widened, "Shit, I'm sorry Em."

"No biggie," Emily shrugged, though her eyes were dimmer than usual, "I still have an awesome set of friends, and seeing how happy Chloe makes you helps me power on through!"

"You sure, dude? Because I'd understand if you actually kind of want to punch me right now for being a dick."

"Nope, you're not a dick, Beca," Emily smiled genuinely as her eyes restored their original twinkle, "If anything, I was for making advances on you."

"Okay, we both know you weren't being a dick for that; I literally JUST said to make a move if you like someone.. So, you were following age-old advice there."

Both girls joked for a few more minutes before standing. Beca pulled the taller girl into a hug and whispered into Emily's ear, "I'm truly sorry, but you'll find someone - you tall drink of water!" Laughing light-heartedly at the remark, the younger girl led the way back to the canteen to see their friends.

"Everything okay?" Chloe's bright orbs scanned her girlfriend's face for any signs of concern on behalf of the younger girl, finding none.

"Indeed it is!" the smaller brunette smiled as she slid onto her chair and shuffled a little closer to the ginger's hip. When she brought her hand down to supposedly rest on her own thigh, Beca's fingers subtly stroked the bare leg protruding from the black skirt next to her. The ginger took comfort in this and showed her appreciation by pushing her thigh closer to the other girl's.

Interestingly to Beca, she noticed how happy Emily seemed to be as she willingly led the table's conversation. Horrified at her friends, the tall girl exclaimed, "None of you have seen a live musical performance? Not even on a visit to London with school?" Everyone shook their heads and Emily tutted in mock disgust, "I may have to alter my next birthday plans in order to right this wicked, wicked wrong!"

"Oh God.. I feel like this is going to end with boredom and sleep," Jesse whined childishly and Beca agreed.

"Well, I have to disagree!" Chloe chimed and grinned at Emily, "I've seen the DVD recording of the 'Billy Elliot' stage performance as well as New York's performance for 'Of Mice & Men'.. And they were spectacular!"

"Seriously? You've watched musicals' DVD recordings?" the brunette next to her questioned with a slight smirk.

"Mmhmm, and I love movie musicals!" the ginger winked back to emphasise her enjoyment of clashing with Beca's opinion.

"Ooh, which ones?" Emily squealed excitedly.

"I've watched quite a few.. I'll just list: (Obviously) Hairspray," Emily nodded along enthusiastically as the ginger continued, "West Side Story, Chicago, Mamma Mia, Les Mis, The Last 5 Years.. Oh and can't forget Into The Woods!"

"Nice choices! Though one thing.. You've not included High School Musical," the taller brunette beamed back.

"I err.. I haven't watched them," Chloe looked embarrassed as she lost eye contact with the speechless girl opposite her.

"That needs to change!" Emily replied once she'd regained her bubbly voice, "We're going to HAVE to marathon them. You agree?"

"Sounds like a plan," the ginger smiled genuinely at the girl as the bell for the end of lunch rang through the buzzing conversations in the canteen.

* * *

 **Last Lesson**

"Do these staircases EVER end?" a female voice whined next to Beca. She turned to see the taller brunette in a tight-fitting (and low-cut) teal t-shirt, blue jeans and calf-length brown boots pretend to dramatically pant.

"Thinking about all of the steps we'll have walked by the end of the year just for English, along with how many staircases we've climbed and will do so throughout our lives then I guess it's basically never-ending to some," the smaller brunette pondered. Stacie raised an eyebrow at the response.

"You're more intelligent than you let on, aren't you, shortie?" Beca blushed at the somewhat compliment and looked down.

"No need to be shy about it; it's hot!" the taller girl grinned mischievously at her friend, "Chloe really has lucked out."

"Err.. I think I'm the lucky one to be honest," the smaller teenager stammered slightly as she considered how incredible her girlfriend was compared to her view of herself.

"And modest! Damn I wish I could meet someone like you.. Who's single. And they say chivalry is dead," Stacie was more sincere towards the end of her comment and Beca noticed this, frowning slightly.

"I swear you don't want commitment or, like, anything serious with anyone?" she queried.

"Beca, just because my track record isn't so romantic, that doesn't mean I don't long for something different," she was making eye contact and her green-blue orbs were dull with sadness as she hastily tried to cover her upset with a smile.

"Maybe Tom can give you that..?" The green-blue eyes narrowed as if to deflect further shots of pain at the suggestion.

"He err.. His values clashed with mine about friendship and what it means to be a good friend," Stacie tried to shrug it off as they reached the third floor and walked slowly towards their classroom.

"Shit dude, I'm sorry," Beca's eyes widened with concern and she (awkwardly) rested her hand on the taller girl's bare upper arm.

"No apology needed. It's me who needs to say sorry to Chlo; I now know that she and Tom were more than friends and it can't have been easy to see me getting with him.. It also explained her weird behaviour about the whole thing, as well as yours," Stacie then led the way into the classroom and Beca, admiring the taller girl's strength, followed.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec outside?" the tall brunette leaned slightly on the desk behind her English seat as she waited for the ginger's response.

"Sure, Stace." Chloe stood, brushing against (perhaps closer than was necessary) Beca who was stood by their seats before walking out of the room of buzzing students with her friend.

Once they were away from the prying eyes, Stacie dropped her smile and brought Chloe into a tight hug. As they embraced, the brunette whispered into the other girl's ear, "Chlo, I'm so, so, so sorry about Tom and I.. I had NO idea that you two had ever been more than just friends. Please forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, Stace," the girl in a navy blouse and black jeans replied, "Are you okay? Did something happen between you two?"

"I'm not great to be honest; almost immediately after I found out about you two Tom started to get all weird and possessive, saying he didn't see why I needed to spend time with friends. I'd mentioned that I hadn't met up with you in AGES and he went really quiet - that's when I found out that you two had.. What you two had done. He then started to get angry (I think he was hurt about how you two ended or something) and I didn't like how he was being or how I'd unwittingly betrayed you, so I ended with him."

"I'm sorry you had to find out from him," Chloe whispered quietly.

"Its fine, I know there's more to what happened than what he told me, and when you're ready (even if that's never) know that I'm ready to hear it and support you." Stacie pulled back from the hug, despite the slight resistance of the trembling and tense ginger, to smile at Chloe. The bright blue orbs tried to concentrate on this rather than the past and her white knuckles slowly returned to their original colour.

"Afternoon, girls," Miss Lavender chimed happily as she walked towards the classroom, a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and a set of photocopied worksheets in the other. Chloe and Stacie plastered on friendly smiles as they greeted the small blonde and strode after their teacher into the classroom.

* * *

 **15 Minutes Later**

"Okay, I'm going to go and fetch the books from the library with the help of several of you," she smiled at the volunteering nerds sat in the front row, "The rest of you take a breather after all of that note-taking!" Miss Lavender left the room, four eager students imitating her purposeful march.

"So," a brunette boy spoke loudly and his popular confidence turned most students' heads in his direction, "I think I know who Chloe's dark-haired lover is." A smirk played on the rugby player's face as his dark (and wounded) eyes dramatically looked around the room before resting on the brunette girl next to him.

"Tom, why are you doing this?" Stacie breathed quietly so that only the boy glaring at her could hear.

"Because," Tom proceeded to speak loud enough to be heard over the wondrous whispers of classmates, "I want everyone to know the truth."

"This isn't like you.. You're a nice guy, don't be a dickhead just because I broke up with you," the tall brunette hissed warningly.

"There was nothing to break up between us; you were just a fuck," Tom glowered (the uncovered pain shining through his narrowed eyes as he spat the words). Speechless, Stacie's jaw dropped and her eyes glistened slightly as she felt a lump in her throat. Tom winced slightly as he saw the pain he'd caused and was about to apologise when one of his friends shouted across the room, "You tell her, man!" and others joined in with the jeering. The voices tore the rugby player's mind in half; he badly wanted to take back his dramatic performance and spiteful words, however a fury inside of him was also being egged on to continue. He clenched his jaw and breathed through his partially flared nostrils - he wasn't going to let yet another girl just dump him out of nowhere and leave him hurt.

"You may as well just admit to everyone what's been going on between you and her," he indicated with his head towards the gobsmacked and wide-eyed ginger staring silently from the desk behind.

"Tom," Stacie shook her head as she regained her calm composure, "There's nothing to admit.. I already told you, neither Chloe nor me (for that fact) were at the park yesterday evening."

"Yeah, we know you said that, just like how you claimed the hand-holding in Boston Tea Party was also nothing. You know, you've been defending Chloe A LOT about this stuff."

"That's because she's my friend," Stacie uttered through clenched teeth.

"You're clearly not that good as friends; I mean, you didn't even know you were handling her leftovers.. Oh, that's right everyone," Tom looked around and grinned as he rested his gaze on the gasping ginger, "Chloe and I used to fuck. Isn't there a girl code that you're not supposed to sleep with your friend's exes?" He eyed Stacie again as the other students murmured, "Or does it not count if you're also fucking your female friends?"

"Shut up, Tom," Chloe interjected as her eyes glistened. Under the table, she felt familiar slender fingers clasp her trembling hand and, breathing deeply, welcomed the touch.

"All I can say, Stacie," Tom's grin twisted into a menacing smirk as he glanced at Chloe and the girl next to him, both trembling slightly.

"Shut up, Tom," the ginger repeated as the boy stopped to revel in his power and absorb the majority of his peers pushing him to proceed.

"I hope she's learned a few things-" the rugby player spoke loudly and slowly as he indicated that he was referencing Chloe.

"Shut up, Tom," the bright blue orbs were glazed over with building tears as she quietly repeated her plead - all previous determination and hope lost.

"Because she was a GOD-AWFUL fuck to me," Tom finished as he emphasised his description before shrugging, "Maybe that's just her being a stupid lesbian though."

"ENOUGH!"

The students all went silent and focused their gaze on the interruption. Standing in fury, the small figure gulped as she realised what she'd done. Beca was looking down at Tom as he frowned questioningly at her for an explanation. The girl opened her mouth to speak, however it seemed that her mind had decided to go blank after conducting the shouting disruption.

"I err.." She stammered as a smug look crept onto the boy's face.

"You what? You want to be outed from the closest too? You want to admit you're head-over-heels for a girl who has more issues than our Government?"

Anger surged through Beca's rigid body as her previously closed mouth started to open and respond, "Actually, you asshole-" She spoke slowly and in a low voice, the irritation thick in her tone.

"What's going on?!" a female voice called from the front of the room. Miss Lavender had observed how the students were all angled in their seats towards a particular clump of seats. Her eyes had narrowed as she noticed the boys near to Tom whisper encouragement and a smirk spread across his lips as he raised his eyebrows at the brunette challenging him. The blonde woman noted the look of recovering hurt combined with shock on Stacie's face as she looked directly at the boy next to her. Furthering that, the teacher pieced more together by listening to the three words leaving Beca's infuriated throat. However, all of these only concluded in Miss Lavender's mind that a dispute was going on between two students. What made her realise something much more one-sided and vindictive was occurring was the ginger sat next to the standing brunette. Chloe was shaking slightly, looking wondrously up at Beca as silent tears streamed down her cheeks from her pained eyes. The bright blue orbs showed immense hurt, however a tiny glint directed at the girl next to her signalled the smallest bit of hope for redemption.

By the time Miss Lavender had finished speaking, the students had turned to stare at her in silence. Despite their hasty attempts to cover up what was happening (the jeering students changing their expressions to be solemn and Tom dropping his cocky smirk), the woman had deduced the scenario. Her eyes still narrowed, she instructed the students who'd helped her to give a book from the piles they carried to everyone. Pausing, she looked at the back of the room, "Tom, Stacie, Chloe and Beca please follow me. Everyone else, once you've got the book, read the first 7 pages and then discuss with your partner how the author creates meaning and atmosphere. Make notes where appropriate."

Mutters rumbled through the class as the four students walked out and found themselves silently stood in an empty classroom two doors over. Miss Lavender indicated with her hand for the teenagers to each take a seat at the front of the room.

"Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to say what I think happened, with a complete lack of interruption. When I'm finished, you may each tell me what YOU believe happened without interrupting one another. Because you're no longer little children I expect you to be polite and honest, and deal with this.. kerfuffle as mature adults. Understand?" They all nodded silently, "Okay, I think that, for whatever reason Tom, you decided to take out some negativity on Stacie and Chloe. I don't know what about, but it seems your words hurt both of them and, in Chloe's case, probably resurfaced some unwanted feelings/memories. As for Beca, you don't seem hurt so I don't believe you were involved other than to defend your friends. I don't know whether you only spoke up when it got most severe or if you were disputing throughout. However, from the fact that you were standing and Tom didn't particularly look phased by your arguing, I'd say you had only just joined the conversation. Tom, to make Chloe and Stacie quite so upset you must have said something to target and lower their self-esteem. I'm thinking, and (let's face it) because you're teenagers, it's probably to do with either sex and relationships or social events such as behaviour at parties. If it's about how they behave at parties then it's more likely to be a sting of objective truth with more students/witnesses chipping in and less likely that their friend (Beca) would get angry and quite so defensive. In calling you an 'asshole', that also indicates that what you said was probably overly harsh and potentially false.. Therefore, I'd conclude it was an argument on sexual relationships." The blonde woman looked nonchalantly at the gawking students sat in front of her before explaining, "I did a combined honours degree in Psychology & English at university, doing a further study in exploring the signs people give off in an argument through verbal and non-verbal communication."

Stacie murmured a noise of understanding as the other three bobbed their heads curtly. Miss Lavender turned her gaze towards Beca (the furthest on the left) and asked, "Would you like to explain first?"

"Umm.. Okay," the brunette cleared her throat and looked down as she spoke, "So, it's pretty much how you said. Some new rumours have been going around today, and err.. Tom decided to try and prove to the class that one of the rumours was true. In doing so, he.. I don't know.. He decided to say some nasty stuff to Stacie and also other things about Chloe. He wasn't listening to Chloe telling him to shut up and I found myself shouting at him.. I didn't really decide to, I guess I just snapped. Then you walked in."

"Thank you, Beca," the blonde woman nodded, "Would you mind going back to class please?" The brunette looked at the upset ginger next to her and appeared to speak through their brief eye contact before reluctantly standing and walking out.

"Stacie, would you like to go next?"

"Sure," the taller brunette seemed to have recovered for the most-part, and her voice was more light-hearted as she casually spoke (almost as if she were giving an overview of an episode to a TV show), "I ended with Tom at the weekend and I guess he was still angry about it," the boy narrowed his eyes however kept his mouth shut in a grim line, "Because he started to involve me in this rumour about Chlo. He also went on to say.. To say some harsh stuff to me, and even worse stuff about Chloe in front of the whole class. Then, Beca stood up and shouted 'Enough' at him. Everyone went quiet but then Tom started to be mean to her. Annoyed, she started to speak.. and then you arrived." The tall brunette smiled sweetly as Miss Lavender thanked and sent her back to class.

"Chloe, your turn," the teacher spoke softly once Stacie had left. Nodding, the ginger wiped away a falling tear and looked at the blonde woman, "It's like how Beca and Stacie said; a rumour about me was tied to Stacie because she'd been trying to defend me. Then Tom said some mean stuff about his and Stacie's relationship, which she'd ended recently. He then brought up and insulted some stuff about me from mine and his relationship," she sniffed as water streaked down her cheeks, "And.. And then Beca stopped him and ignored his hurtful words as she defended us." The ginger turned to Tom, "I know you were probably just hurt from Stacie and even maybe from how I ended it abruptly with us.. And I know that your friends were egging you on, but you didn't have to bring Beca into it. What you said to her was completely uncalled for considering she's never done anything which could have hurt you." The boy stayed silent for a moment and frowned before realisation appeared to dawn on his face.

"Wait, it's her.. It's Beca, isn't it? I knew there was truth in what was said," the rugby player spoke quietly, a lack of hate or spite in his voice; simply morbid curiosity, "Chloe, why did you break our thing off?"

"We err.. Because I had to.." the girl frowned as she tried to find the words and slowly replied, "We weren't ready for the responsibility our relationship would have required long-term."

"I don't understand," Tom's forehead creased, "We were just having fun."

"I think that's probably the best explanation Chloe can offer right now," Miss Lavender interrupted after seeing the difficulty and bravery in the ginger's words, "Tom, I think I've managed to get a clear picture of what happened. I'm going to give you detention for it as the cruelty was unnecessary. I do hope this doesn't occur again. Chloe, you can go back to class, I'd like to hear Tom's side of the story now." Obeying her teacher's request, the girl stood and made her way back to the chattering classroom. The students stopped talking; watching Chloe enter the room and take her seat, like their prey. They whispered hungrily. Huffing, 'Baloney Barb' stopped trying to do the work task and turned around.

"They want to know if it's true about you and Stacie?" her voice grated with annoyance as if she were the one being imposed upon and her classmates went silent to listen for the ginger's answer. Chloe scoffed at the question and Beca rolled her eyes.

"Not that it's anyone's business," the slightly-offended girl chimed, "But Stacie and I are JUST friends."

Satisfied with the answer, Barb turned back to her note-taking as more murmurs passed between the greedy teenagers' lips. Unable to concentrate, the brunette turned around to (yet again) ask Chloe for an answer to what everyone was wondering, "And your sexuality?" The ginger's cheeks reddened slightly and her bright orbs snuck a sideways glance at the frozen girl next to her.

"Umm.. That's still not anyone's business but my own and whomever I date-"

"Oh yeah, you're dating someone at the moment, aren't you?" Barb interrupted, her monotonous tone giving the impression she couldn't care less. The girl's voice somewhat irritated Chloe more than the personal questions. _Why ask such intrusive questions and then pretend not to give a shit? That's just rude,_ the ginger thought and frowned.

"If you must know, yes - I'm currently in a relationship.. And they're the most incredible and important person to me." Her eyes sparkled at the thought of Beca and a dazzling smile spread across her face.

"No gender specification.. Is 'they' referring to a he or she?" Barb pressed.

"Who gives a fuck what it refers to?" Chloe snapped and glared at the girl. The brunette pouted and raised her eyebrows before turning back to continue with her work.

"Oh shit, she's blushing!" a voice called out from the masses of wide eyes directed at the ginger.

"She just admitted it!" another excitedly joined in.

"Chloe Beale is dating a girl!"

The ravenous students lapped up the gossip avidly as more and more comments were hurled through the air. Chloe's blush deepened to a crimson shade and her frowning face had a look of embarrassment. Beca looked at the girl next to her and felt pained. _This was the girl she loved,_ the brunette thought, _How could she let her be vulnerable to public ridicule in this old-fashioned and stupid school while she, Beca Mitchell, just sat there doing nothing?_

"It's me." A small voice spoke through the babble and cut the menacing atmosphere in half as the speaker repeated their words at a louder volume, "It's me." Beca made eye contact with her steely glare and intensely silenced each of the chattering predators in doing so. She took a deep breath, "Chloe Beale isn't just 'dating a girl'.. She's dating an idiot..," the brunette chuckled to herself, "She's dating me." Like a distressed pack of chimps, shocked remarks and voices bounced from the walls at huge volume. However, the noise seemed to become a blur along with the surroundings as Beca turned to look into the bright orbs.

"You're not an idiot," Chloe whispered - her smile wide and eyes crinkled.

"And you're not weird, weirdo," Beca breathed in response as she lost herself in the other girl's gaze, "I love you, Chlo," she mouthed.

"I love you too," the ginger mouthed back.

"Okay everyone, party's over!" Miss Lavender joked as she re-entered the room with Tom skulking behind. He took his seat and listened to the excited whisper from his friend near to him. Eyes wide, the rugby player glanced back towards Chloe, a look of concern on his face. Reading his expression, the ginger smiled genuinely and shrugged. She didn't care anymore because she didn't have to hide the fact that she felt like the luckiest girl in the world; she was dating an extraordinary person, and it was no longer a secret. _Wait, what about Beca's family?_ A small voice worked its way into the ginger's thoughts and she froze for a second.

 _Maybe they wouldn't find out? It's not like teenagers are going to tell their middle class parents and then the parents are going to tell Benjamin or Sheila.. Are they?_

"In a couple of weeks, I'll be taking parent's evening appointment times, and it's important you know when your parents/guardians will be available to see me because times always get booked up fast!" the blonde woman announced, bringing the concerned ginger back to reality.

 _Oh fuck.. Parent's evening.. Where parents come to the school with their children.. And talk to the teachers after waiting (and inevitably chatting with) other parents and students.._

"Are you okay?" the brunette whispered as she eyed the anxious girl.

"Umm.. I'm fine, just reality catching up to me," the ginger smiled. Her stomach knotted as she brushed away the question with a lie and she quickly blurted, "I'll tell you about it another time." Nodding at this, Beca smiled before turning her attention back to her own daydreaming.


	21. Exploring In The Galaxy

**A/N Hey everyone, thank you so much for your support! I hope you enjoy this chapter; I thought it necessary to introduce the secondary characters a little more and show their friendship.. Next chapter is more focal on 'alone time', but you'll have to wait for that one! ;)**

* * *

 **Friday (7.30pm)**

"Yo guys, sorry I'm late; the bus broke down," Cynthia Rose panted slightly as she joined the three girls patiently waiting. The brunette & ginger were sat (subtly snuggling) on one side of the booth and the blonde in the other. Smiling, the lone girl welcomed her friend to sit next to her. The café buzzed with bustling people and a circle of three almost-empty hot chocolates rested on the table between the four teenagers.

"That's okay," Chloe chimed, "Jessica's picking up the others after she's finished clarinet."

"Could everyone make it?" Beca asked the ginger next to her and her heart skipped a beat as the smiling bright blue eyes shone their light on her.

"Mmhmm," the taller girl hummed before whispering, "I can be VERY persuasive." Chloe winked and the brunette blushed slightly as her eyebrow lifted and a challenging smirk crept across her face.

"I bet," Beca replied in her husky whisper.

The ginger, having lost herself in the intense stare beside her, opened her mouth to reply when Aubrey coughed. Snapping back to reality, Chloe looked apologetically at the disapproving girl, however saw a slight smile twitching at the edges of the blonde's thin lips and relaxed.

"Hey, hey, hey girls," a voice interrupted cheerily, "Budge up, shortie." Stacie grinned as she slipped in next to the couple while Jessica and Lilly pulled up chairs at the head of the table and Ashley took a seat next to Aubrey.

"Yay, everyone's here!" Chloe exclaimed at the group of beaming faces.

"Did you doubt your persuasive powers?" Beca grinned and winked at the ginger. The taller girl scoffed and her parted mouth drew the full attention of the brunette. Licking her lips subconsciously, the smaller girl's hungry stare travelled back up to the wide eyes.

"Chlo, did you hear me?" Jessica's wide smile was plastered on her face as the ginger glanced over with confusion, "Sorry, no I didn't. Wh- what did you say?" The embarrassed girl's cheeks reddened a little and tried to push her buzzing thoughts (and urges) aside.

"She was asking what we're getting up to tonight," Aubrey spoke up with her tight-lipped expression.

"Well," Stacie spoke slowly as she grinned, eyeing Beca and Chloe, "I don't mind just sitting and watching you two eye-fuck." The smaller girl blushed and looked down at her lap as the ginger bit her lip at the immediate thoughts of being with Beca snuck into her hungry mind. Giggling at the girls' reaction, the tall brunette continued, "Don't worry guys: your chemistry is HOT."

"The tension is pretty.. prominent," Cynthia Rose chuckled before sneaking a glance at Stacie's bouncing cleavage as it rose and fell with every breath from her low-cut top.

"Oh yeah, congratulations by the way!" Ashley gasped ecstatically and Jessica nodded along, clapping her hands excitedly. Opening and moving her mouth, Lilly appeared to speak and the other girls squinted in an attempt to hear their friend.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Beca asked patiently. Sighing, Lilly repeated herself loud enough to be heard, "I think I have an idea." The group gasped at how audible the quiet girl had been. Jokingly, Stacie replied, "No need to shout," and more laughter erupted.

* * *

 **45 Minutes Later**

"This was DEFINITELY a great idea," Jessica smiled as she addressed the Asian girl. Lilly spoke (seemingly silent again) before sucking at a spoonful of her Oreo McFlurry.

"Mmmm," Ashley hummed in agreement as she too savoured the cold taste of her matching icecream. Cynthia Rose and Stacie sighed appreciatively as they sunk onto the remaining stools at the long table and the gruffer of the two placed their tray of food down. Stacie grinned and sat with a perfect posture, elongating her spine (and pushing her chest out, Beca realised and almost snorted). Instead, the smaller brunette partially choked on the mouthful of fresh fries she was swallowing. A slim hand glided across the girl's thigh as she tried to regain control over her convulsing body.

"You okay?" A concerned whisper drifted into Beca's ear as she breathed in through her nose and managed to swallow her mouthful before clearing her throat. Glancing at the owner of the wandering hand (while the fingertips brushed lightly on the thin denim material), the brunette smiled, "Yeah, thanks". Her frown depleting, Chloe grinned back and her eyes twinkled before she turned back to concentrating on handling her grilled chicken wrap with her free hand. The limp lettuce protruded from the thin skin and the ginger's forehead creased a little as she tried to contain the spilling contents and take a bite simultaneously. A light chuckle escaped from Beca's lips as she observed her adorable girlfriend. Having finished her first bite (and fully aware of the intense eyes on her), Chloe slowly poked her tongue between her lips and licked them, accentuating the original gloss. The ginger then put the wrap down, brought her left forefinger up and pushed it into her mouth. With her lips puckered and tight around the finger, she slowly retracted it and created a popping noise as it left the warm and dark chasm. Practically hearing Beca's jaw dramatically drop, Chloe plastered on an innocent expression and, with wide eyes and slightly raised eyebrows, she pouted, "Something wrong?" Blinking silently, the brunette tried to reply but all that she could muster was an "errr" which scrambled its way from the distracted girl's throat. After a few seconds the smaller girl shook her head and managed, "N- no, I err.. I'm g- good." Smirking at the cute girl next to her, Chloe started to let her fingertips crawl their way down the slight slope to the brunette's inner thigh and up towards her crotch.

"Beca, can you remember if we had homework set in physics?" Stacie asked across the table, unwittingly interrupting the torture going on under the table. Chloe had stopped for a second; thinking she'd been caught. The ginger's cheeks had started to redden, however just as quickly paled once the question had noticeably been irrelevant to her current teasing. Beca's dark eyes were glazed over as she turned to look at the tall girl and stammered, "Umm," her brain tried to concentrate as Chloe's touch drifted further, "I err.. I don't think SO". The small girl yelped slightly and her intonation rose astoundingly as the ginger's whole hand had gripped her core and squeezed.

"Shit, sorry," Chloe looked at Beca, her hand still firmly in place, "I must have stood on your foot." None of the girls seemed to care about Beca's unexpected outburst once an excuse had been given and Stacie nodded at the reply, satisfied with the answer.

* * *

 **20 Minutes Later**

"Hey, you going to finish those?" Aubrey asked politely, directing her attention towards the smaller brunette who'd been watching the ginger next to her slowly (and seductively) eat for the past five minutes.

"Uhh," Beca cleared her throat and looked at the fries cooling on her tray, "Nah, d'you want them?"

"If that's alright," the blonde reached over and took a couple of the thin slices of potato between her fingers, smiling at the other girl. She took a bite of one, humming in delight. After swallowing her mouthful, Aubrey spoke, "So, Beca, are you coming to see Chloe and I put some dingalings in their place next Tuesday?" Confused, Beca looked at the blonde before turning inquisitively to her girlfriend - who'd stopped eating and was sipping her drink as she heard this. Frowning slightly, the brunette replied, "Umm.. 'Fraid I don't know what you mean, Aubrey."

"You haven't told her?" Aubrey almost screeched in shock across the table at the blue orbs staring at her in silence.

"Told me what, Chlo?" Beca wasn't angry, but her frustration at being out of the loop came across as irritation in her tone.

"I'm sorry, Becs," the apologetic girl spoke hastily, "I just.. I don't think I'm going to do very well, and I didn't want you to see me lose.." Her voice died off as genuine worry clouded her vision slightly.

"You're not going to lose! You're the best on our team," Aubrey interrupted, adding with a joking smile, "Apart from me."

"Lose what?" Beca felt exasperated at the enigma in the air. Chloe's eyes were looking down at the space between their legs, and the brunette gently tilted the girl's concerned face upwards with her pale thumb and forefinger. Whispering in a more patient tone, Beca repeated as she made eye contact with the ginger, "Lose what, baby?"

"Umm," Chloe's cheeks reddened, "You know how a while ago.. When we went to Jesse's and discovered he had a pool, and I said how I like to swim because it helps get the stress out? You may not remember, as we were watching the last film and kinda drifting off while casually chatting over Judd Nelson being.. Well, Judd Nelson-"

"I remember," Beca replied softly, hushing Chloe's rambling and returning her focus to the main explanation.

"Okay, so I may have sort of misled you with just HOW much I like (and do) swimming," Chloe pulled an apologetic face, "I'm actually a competitor for the county.. Kind of.. I mean, I have been for like 5 years, but I have to 'defend my title' or whatever. I'm sorry, I just don't want to ever sound like all the people who do sports for the county and walk around expecting everyone else to lick the dirt from their shoes, you know?"

"Don't worry, I know now," the brunette smiled widely, "Plus, it's actually pretty cool that MY girlfriend is a competing swimmer."

"I didn't say I was any good," the taller girl warned, however the solemn expression had been replaced with a grin and ensnared bottom lip. _My girlfriend is literally the best,_ Chloe thought to herself as she subconsciously eyed the other girl's rosy lips.

"So," Beca interrupted the ginger's thoughts, "What's happening next Tuesday?"

"Oh, Aubrey and I (along with the rest of the team) are competing. It's no big deal."

"NO BIG DEAL?" Aubrey shrieked (not in anger, simply disagreement), "Chlo, it's the English county championships! If you remain in these AGAIN, then you'll be into the regionals. Not-to-mention the longest defending champion the team's ever had!"

"And how do I get to be in the crowd cheering you two on?" Beca asked Aubrey the question, though quickly returned her gaze to the hypnotic electric blue eyes.

"Umm.. I can text you the address, Chloe will just need to ask for an extra reserved seat in the crowd (I would, but I've already allocated my two seats)," the blonde replied with the instruction diligently.

"So, what do you.. swim? Like, are they particular races?" The brunette felt Chloe's creeping fingers twitch playfully on her crotch as she whispered silkily, "You'll just have to come.. And find out." Grinning, Beca leaned in and rested her forehead on the mischievous ginger's, "Oh I'm coming; you can count on it."

"Enough with the romance!" Stacie bellowed as if she were making an announcement, calling all of her friends to attention, "Onwards to the bar!"

Clearing their finished remnants of fast food, the group chattered as they left McDonald's and followed the tallest teenager's lead to the next destination.

* * *

 **15 Minutes Later**

"Hey, Terry," Stacie cooed as she pranced over the threshold, her timid (and in Aubrey's case, disapproving) friends also greeting the stocky man as they entered 'The Galaxy'.

"Be safe, Stace," the chunky bouncer called after the girl and she waved her hand, laughing at the remark. Once inside, Beca immediately inhaled the unpleasant combination of sweat and alcohol rising from the crowd dancing. The hordes of people on the dancefloor would have been in complete darkness if it weren't for the blaring lights shooting across them from the stage area with the dj and his decks. The heavy drum and bass mix thudded through the floorboards and coaxed Beca's heart to the beat as she felt slender fingers intertwine with hers.

"Come on," a voice shouted next to her heavily pierced ear (trying to make themselves audible over the noise), to which Beca allowed the hand's grip to pull her over to the warmly lit bar. The other girls had somehow weaved their way through the crowd and reached the destination before Beca and Chloe, and Stacie handed the late arrivals a shot in their free hands. Raising her own shot into the middle of their tightly-packed circle, the tall brunette shouted, "To memories.. Or a lack of!" The others clinked their small shot glasses against the girl's before they all quickly gulped back the liquid. Aubrey winced and coughed a little, as did Jessica & Ashley. Cynthia Rose and Lilly seemed completely nonplussed, and Chloe (much to Beca's amusement) appeared to hiccup a little as the tequila trickled down her throat. Without being given a proper chance to breath, the group were handed their second round of shots, which they knocked back without a toast, before repeating the process with their third, fourth and fifth sets. As they finished their last round (straight vodka), a bald man in black trousers and a purple silk shirt which was unbuttoned to display a gold chain pushed into the circle and shouted over the music. He raised a full bottle of tequila which he'd acquired from the bar and unscrewed the top. It's sleek and glistening exterior shined in the limited lighting, much alike to the man's sweaty head. He high-fived Stacie and she greeted him by name, however was inaudible over the music.

"LET'S PARTYYYYY!" the drunken man shouted as he raised the bottle to hover above the nearest girl (Stacie's) opened mouth by a few inches. As she tilted her head up a little he poured a couple of shots' worth from the bottle into her gaping mouth. The pure liquid twirled eloquently before diving into darkness. The man then stopped as Stacie closed her mouth to swallow the burning drink, and he leaned to do the same to Cynthia Rose, who indifferently accepted, as did Lilly afterwards. Then Jessica and Ashley followed, managing to not splutter the contents out despite their eyes bulging with the pain ripping through their tender throats. Aubrey (already swaying and dizzy) accepted and, despite squirming on the spot and frowning, also swallowed the majority of the drink - a small dribble escaping down her chin. Next was Chloe, who squeezed the smaller brunette's hand slightly as the man lost his balanced and ended up pouring an additional shot's worth into her brimming mouth of alcohol. Waiting to see that her girlfriend had finished her drink and was fine, Beca turned to the bleary-eyed man and accepted the remainder of the bottle's contents. Despite not getting a drink himself, the stranger seemed ecstatic and Stacie led him to the dancefloor. Chloe looked concerned, however Stacie (seeing this) mouthed _"Me no fuck him"_ and giggled, tipsy as she also signalled for Cynthia Rose to follow. Without hesitation, the dark girl took hold of the tall brunette's offered hand and they disappeared into the bobbing crowd. Lilly and Jessica laughed as they both took hold of Aubrey and Ashley (who were nodding their heads out of time to the music) and dragged them towards the dancefloor too.

"Do you wanna join?" Jessica shouted at the remaining two. Beca glanced at Chloe (who was staring thirstily at the free leather stools by the bar) and shouted back, "Maybe in a bit, we'll find you later!" Nodding as she understood the gist of what was being communicated; the beaming blonde turned back to her stumbling friends and guided them further from the bar.

Chloe perched on the edge of her stool and Beca slid onto the empty seat next to her. The ginger beckoned to a bartender and, as the man with short cropped brown hair walked over, she said, "Two vodkas on the rocks please: one double, one single." Nodding, the man crinkled his nose as he concentrated on producing the drinks quickly and counted the correct change in return.

"Here," Chloe handed the slightly weaker drink to Beca, "These were the first drinks we ordered together when we came here before.. I think?"

"They were indeed," the brunette smiled back as she took her glass and clinked it against the taller girl's. She tilted her head back and downed the drink, as the ginger admired her jawline in the lighting (just like the previous time). Once she'd finished, Chloe drank and Beca also admired the lighting bouncing from the beautiful girl's outline, chuckling to herself at the déjà vu effect. As the bartender walked past, the brunette signalled to him and shouted, "12 shots of tequila please." Within minutes the tray of miniature glasses brimming with liquid was placed between the two girls. Giggling her melodic way, and warming Beca's insides more than the burning alcohol ever could, Chloe raised an eyebrow at the smaller girl.

"You trying to get me drunk?" she joked.

"Only if you're a lightweight these days," the brunette smirked back, "We're going to play a game." Chloe leaned forward so that Beca could speak into her ear the rules. As she finished explaining, the smaller girl took the opportunity to bite the ginger's empty ear lobe before slowing dragging her teeth from it. Even though their surroundings were too loud, the brunette had noticed the other girl shiver and knew a growl will have escaped the ensnared glossy lips. Leaning back, Chloe handed Beca a shot as she placed one in her own hand. The ginger pondered for a second before, with a glint in her eye, she leaned forward slightly and spoke.

"You get turned on by.. Well, not by being worshipped, but like from extreme confidence being employed for your entertainment. Like, a strip tease," she grinned - following the explained rules of what they were guessing this time they played the game. Beca shrugged and swigged her shot down before replying, "And you get turned on when you know I'm willing to submit to your displayed confidence."

"True," Chloe nodded before adding, "But that one isn't a proper guess.. No cheating, Mitchell!"

"Umm.. You get turned on by my embarrassment.. Right?" the brunette lacked assurance in her guess, as she (unlike Chloe) didn't feel she had sufficient evidence to back it up.

"You're cute, and it's overpoweringly hot," the taller girl shrugged as she swigged her shot. Staring at her girlfriend confidently, she cleared her throat, "You're into.. Roleplay!" The final word left her tongue with an enthusiastic chime. Blushing and breaking eye contact for a second, Beca looked away as she swallowed her second shot's contents. Frowning at her memory of Chloe's high pain tolerance previously in the hot tub, the brunette looked at the other girl, "You're into, like, kinky BDSM stuff aren't you? Bondage and being hurt from, I don't know, whips?"

"Umm.. That's more complicated than just a yes or no thing.. I err.. I think you should ask a different question," Chloe's eyes were dimmer and she looked sad for a second before she appeared to correct the fallen mask. Frowning at this, Beca made a mental note to ask another time however, not wanting to upset her girlfriend, thought of a new question. Clearing her throat, the brunette spoke, "You get turned on by skin being exposed but also hidden.. Kind of as if what's hidden is making its presence known but not too much."

"Fuck you, clothes!" the ginger grinned genuinely as she drank, "You're driven CRAZY," Beca raised a quizzical brow and smirked at the emphasis, "When you feel me do this.." The taller girl took her free hand from the tray of remaining shots and slowly walked her long forefinger and middle finger up the other girl's inner thigh before tracing their fingertips down the crotch area and back down. Sure enough, Beca's breath had hitched in her throat and, once the fingers had left her jeans, she took a drink.

"Fine, but you get turned on when you tease me like that, and especially when it's in public and I'm trying to control my urges." Chloe grinned and winked before replying, "You won't need to control those urges later, baby." Smirking, Beca replied, "I will if you're drunk and unconscious.. I guessed two by accident by the way, so you can guess two for me." The ginger nodded and, after drinking two shots, paused for a second. Her eyes were slightly glazed and she found herself frowning to concentrate the tiniest inkling of her preoccupied mind on the task at hand. _Fuck, am I drunk already?!_ Chloe thought, her eyes widening at the possibility.

"You okay?" Beca quizzed, looking concerned as she rested a protective hand on the girl's thigh.

"I'm good, thanksss Becsss," the taller girl started to slur as the previous two shots' made their impact, and the brunette grinned.

"You get err.. You're horny wh- when I show off any of my life skilzzz," Chloe winked as she, still slurring, put on a 'street' accent towards the end, "And you also d- don't nece- nece- necessarilyyy get turned on by this but you like knowing I need you.. To protect me." After frowning at her tongue's inability to perform so smoothly with the words, the ginger had a more sincere expression in her eyes, as if to admit what she'd been pretending wasn't true about herself. The girl hadn't wanted to say it, or believe it; however she knew that she was fragile. What had helped with her accepting this though was the fact that Beca seemed to also know, and not care. The brunette took two shots before leaning forward. She brought her free hand up to lightly caress the ginger's high cheekbone and prominent jawline as she closed the distance between their lips. Admittedly, Chloe was a little clumsy in her movements as their mouths moulded together, but the alcohol from Beca's two shots hit her and this thought faded away (not that she'd been bothered by it before). Their lips parted simultaneously as their tongues eagerly lunged towards one another and danced. Slipping and sliding with ease into one another's mouths, the couple unlaced their fingers and Chloe used both of her hands to pull herself into the gap between the smaller girl's legs. The ginger had slipped off her stool and Beca placed a hand on the small of her girlfriend's back to push her even closer. The smaller girl leaned further into the passionate kiss as Chloe's tongue licked hungrily at the burning alcohol coating her warm throat. The taller girl's hands snuck under Beca's slacking jeans' waistband to grasp the girl's tight ass beneath the material. Her slender fingers squeezed and the brunette groaned appreciatively.

"Hey, want a real man to show you how it's done?" a voice shouted at a closer proximity than was welcome to either of the girls. Pulling apart from their kiss, though maintaining their hold on one another, the couple turned their faces to look at the owner of the beer breath. Shock and anger surged through both Beca and Chloe as they realised who it was.

"The fuck are you doing here?" the brunette snapped at the boy squinting through his dark eyes at them. Before he could answer however, a skinny Asian boy approached and put an arm around his chubby friend. Both of the boys were holding beers in a hand and the skinnier of the two looked through his thick rectangular glasses before asking the other male, "Who are these two hunnies, Bumper?"

"Oh," Bumper snorted and shrugged, "Just a couple of scissor-sisters."

"You don't know what you're missing," the Asian boy grinned and his white teeth sparkled in the lighting, "I'm Donald, by the way." The girls stared at the interruption in silence, unsure as to whether they should be insulted and retort angrily or be polite in return to the introduction. Therefore, the conclusion to remain silent was taken.

"Anyway," Bumper started, "The smell of your weird is affecting me, so we're gonna scoot.. Skedaddle." His voice decreased in volume from his original shout over the music as he started to drag Donald away with him.

"Where were we?" Chloe bit her lip as she hungrily watched Beca smile back and lean in again.

"Beca, Chlo, we have a situation," Cynthia Rose yelled as she approached the two with a stumbling Stacie clinging to her chunky arm. Behind them, Jessica, Ashley & Lilly were carrying (while trying to prop up) the almost-unconscious Aubrey. The blonde's head rolled from side to side as her collapsing body swayed against people from the crowd pushing past towards the bar. Stacie shouted, "I'm going to take Bree back with me so her dad doesn't get involved. Cynthia Rose is also staying around mine. We're probably gonna go now, do you want to stay? If you're leaving now we can all share a taxi and drop you off along the way?" Having trouble to hear over the noise, both girls narrowed their eyes and frowned in concentration.

"Umm.. We still have some drinks to finish," Chloe replied slowly as she silently communicated with Beca, "I think we'll stay?" The brunette knew the question was angled at her and added, "Yeah, get home safe you guys."

"You too," Cynthia Rose replied before the standing group of five girls all turned to exit and the couple watched their friends leave before turning to one another. Beca checked the time on her phone and her eyes widened; _It was past midnight!_ She gaped, "Where'd the time go?"

"Umm.. It left along with my self-control over the urge to do this," Chloe replied before leaning forward and planting a short yet sweet kiss on the brunette's soft lips. Mesmerised, the smaller girl watched with her wide eyes as the ginger pulled back and picked them both another shot from the tray.

"Drink!" She ordered and grinned before they both knocked back the tequila. Immediately after, Chloe sipped half of the last shot on the tray and handed the remaining liquid to her girlfriend, who obliged and swigged it.

"Come on," the ginger coaxed, "Please come with me to the toilet?" She asked with an innocently sweet expression on her face, and Beca (unable to resist) stood and followed.

The stalls were all full: a couple of women in tight-fitted dresses and accompanying masses of smudged make-up surrounded by voluptuous hair chatted with each other in the queue. Patiently, Beca and Chloe stood a step behind them. Grinning, the taller girl's bright orbs looked around the brightly lit room, "You know, you told me a pretty big secret in here last time."

"I remember," the brunette nodded and subconsciously tightened her grip on the other girl's hand. Pretending not to notice, Chloe joked, "But it was a lot cleaner," as she stared at the broken glass, ripped segments of toilet roll and cigarette butts on the floor as well as the dirty marks on the tiled walls.

"True," Beca responded with a throaty chuckle. The first of the women in front entered a cubicle once a girl exited it to stumble to the sinks. The second stall was freed shortly after along with the third, and Chloe ushered her girlfriend to go first, "Just wait for me outside when I'm done," the ginger said to the resistant smaller girl. Sighing in defeat, Beca entered the cramped cubicle. Within a minute she'd relieved her bladder of alcohol and made her way to the sinks. Chloe wasn't in the building queue, so the brunette concluded she was in a stall. Pressing her body against the tiled wall, Beca squeezed her way past the drunk females waiting in line chattering to their friends.

As soon as she stepped out of the toilet door into the darkness at the edge of the dancing crowd, Beca sighed and closed her eyes - her body leaning against the cold wall.

"Hey there, cutie," a voice shouted over the music and into the brunette's ear, "Remember me?" Taken aback, Beca snapped her eyes open and turned towards the voice. Misjudging the distance, the brunette's nose practically brushed the other woman's. Trying to shuffle herself further back, the smaller girl felt a warm body behind her and realised she was boxed in. The woman's long curly blonde-brown hair and twinkling green eyes flickered in Beca's memory. She observed the subtle display of freckles and, eyeing the masses of piercings, remembered.

"Wait, you work here, right? Sorry, I can't remember your name," the brunette shouted back and the woman leaned in to hear properly. Winking, she replied, "I'm Liz. And you're Beca, right?"

"How do you know that?" the smaller girl frowned, confused (and not noticing Liz's body shuffle closer).

"I may have asked around a little," the woman smiled and her tongue piercing gleamed as it poked out from her mouth, "You having a good night?" Liz's bare left arm with the sleeve tattoo snuck its way forward to rest on the brunette's right hip. Her fingers didn't press hard and Beca didn't realise.

"Umm.. Yeah, I'm just waiting for my girlfr-" the smaller girl was explaining and the woman was frowning to hear correctly as a loud newcomer interjected.

"Beca?" a familiar voice shouted over, interrupting the brunette. Suddenly, the smaller girl felt slender fingers grip her right forearm and drag her away from Liz, knocking the tattooed arm down. Chloe pulled the stumbling girl back into the street outside the entrance to 'The Galaxy' and frowned at the girl in the neon sign's light.

"What the fuck was she doing?" Chloe asked firmly, her eyes ice cold and hands placed at her hips.

"I.. I seriously don't know," Beca stammered, her eyes wide and afraid, "I was waiting for you and then she came up and was asking me questions, and then I was boxed in-"

"Her arm was around your waist!" the ginger exclaimed, exasperated and furious. However, her surging anger wasn't at her girlfriend; she knew Beca wouldn't cheat (especially not so blatantly) and the smaller girl's wide eyes and awkward stammers proved that. _But what if she'd been a minute later.. What if that woman had tried to kiss the beautiful brunette?_ Chloe's mind buzzed worriedly.

"Chlo, I SWEAR I had NO idea she'd done that, please understand," the brunette's hands were raised and her palms facing the taller girl; as if to emphasise her lack of awareness or innocence in the crime committed. Sighing, the ginger glanced at her feet and shook her head slightly. When she looked back up, her eyes were their normal brightness. Chloe spoke softly, "I know, I just.. I get worried that someone will.. Well, that you'll get a better offer than this trainwreck," she gestured to herself before her hands limply dropped to her sides.

"What? Don't say that, baby!" Beca gently slipped her hands under the ginger's and squeezed, "I love you, weirdo, for who you truly are. Do you remember what I said when you were upset last time we were here? I told you that you're beautiful inside and out, and that anyone (that's including you and me) would be ridiculous to not see that. I'm not going to find a 'better offer', and I sure as hell am not going to take you're amazingness for granted.. And.. And nor should you."

A small smile spread on the ginger's lips and she replied, "Thank you, Becs. I love you, too." Chloe bit her bottom lip and the brunette controlled the almost overpowering urge to kiss her girlfriend. Instead, she smirked and asked, "So.. When do I get to experience this alone time with you? You said control over any urges wouldn't be necessary." Laughing melodically, the ginger's grin widened and her teeth dazzled as she replied, "Well, if we leave now the fun will start sooner". Her voice was silky and her eyes sparkled as she winked mischievously.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's move!" Beca squealed slightly with enthusiasm and the two girls, laughing, walked arm-in-arm down the dark street.


	22. Federal Complaints

**A/N Hi everyone, this chapter continues only a short while from where the previous one left off (so the same night). I'm interested to know whether you, my devoted readers, prefer me writing chapters which lead on with little time having passed between them or, alternatively, larger time gaps. Let me know and happy reading!**

* * *

 **Friday Night/Early Hours Of Saturday**

The Beale household was silent while the two girls supressed their giggles. As quietly as they could muster, the teenagers removed their footwear and placed them by the shoe rack before creeping up the shadowy stairs. The ginger grabbed the smaller girl's wrist once they'd reached the upstairs hallway and pulled her through the first door on the left. They entered further darkness. Before her eyes could even attempt to adjust to the surroundings of pure black and slices of pale moonlight, the brunette felt her body being pushed against the door, clicking it shut, and lips crashing against hers. Closing her eyes, Beca sighed into the kiss and rhythmically participated in the moulding of their mouths. Hungry, Chloe's tongue licked against the other girl's rosy lips for entry and didn't hesitate as they parted to lunge into the warm opening. The brunette felt fingers grip her waist and the taller girl's thigh slipped in between her legs. Instinctively, the smaller girl's arms lifted to drape atop the ginger's protruding collarbones and grip the roots at the base of the girl's scalp with her spindly fingers. Chloe pushed harder into the kiss and her hips started to grind on Beca, who released a ragged moan and tightened her hold on the other girl's thick hair. The taller girl's slender fingers tickled against the brunette's soft skin as they brushed under the baggy navy t-shirt and lifted it up. The kiss was broken for a few seconds, however eagerly reconnected once Beca's top was above her head and flung away into the darkness. Slightly clumsy with enthusiasm, the smaller girl's fingers pried open the other girl's blouse before letting the ginger shrug the material off.

Without hesitation, the two girls skimmed their fingers down to one another's waists and unbuttoned the others' bottom halves. Beca avoided Chloe's underwear reluctantly as she slipped the unfastened jeans down the other girl's toned legs and allowed them to be kicked off. Whereas, the ginger purposefully slipped her thumbs swiftly under both layers to brush down the smaller girl's bare skin as she removed the jeans and (lacy) underwear. Breaking the kiss somewhat unwillingly, the taller girl bent on her long legs to help the brunette remove her clothes. Chloe leaned forward to teasingly place a soft kiss on the other girl's exposed core. Beca bucked her hips forward at the electric sensation sent surging through her body from the touch and her flaps moistened as the ginger started to trace light kisses up her slender body.

Reconnecting their lips, Chloe shoved her tongue into the warm chasm and explored the familiar grounds hungrily. The ginger pushed her thigh back into place against Beca's soft core, and her hips rolled as she felt the warm liquid seeping slightly from the girl's flaps. Grinning into the kiss, the taller girl reached behind her back, unclasped her black lace bra and discarded it. Still maintaining the passionate kiss, Chloe grasped the brunette's hands in her own before moving and placing them against her naked breasts. Beca gasped in delight at the contact with the soft skin, massaging the perky breasts. A deep groan rolled from the ginger's throat as the smaller girl's nimble fingertips expertly rolled & probed at her erect nipples, hardening them further. The brunette's palms kneaded and enveloped the perky mounds steadily; her slim fingers sending tantalising sensations down her girlfriend's nerve endings. Rocking her hips forcefully and pushing her bare torso into the welcoming hands, Chloe unfastened the other girl's (convenient) strapless bra before pressing their topless bodies flush against one another.

Beca suddenly pulled back slightly, ensnaring and dragging the ginger's bottom lip with her. The taller girl shivered and she panted heavily as the other girl finally released her grip. Her eyes having adjusted a little, the brunette's intense gaze focused on the twinkling moonlight bouncing from the dark orbs looking down at her. She maintained eye contact as her slender fingers traced their way from the girl's perky breasts down to grip the thin material clasping around Chloe's prominent hip bones. Pushing the taller girl off of her for a second, Beca slid the underwear down, letting it drop to the floor. The smaller girl's fingertips tickled the exposed skin around the ginger's hips as they lightly skimmed their way inwards to her core. Chloe instinctively bucked as the fingertips stroked over her bare flaps, and a loud gasp released itself into the still air when Beca suddenly plunged two fingers into the wet core. Smirking to herself, the brunette slowly roamed around inside and rubbed the taller girl's located clit a few times. Chloe's mouth gaped open and her hips joined Beca's rhythmic motions before the fingers suddenly left. Missing their presence, a throaty whimper travelled through the girl's parted lips as her gleaming eyes watched the other girl. Her intense orbs hungry in their stare, Beca (with deliberation) brought the fingers up and sucked the warm liquid from them in the pale light. Once the other girl had withdrawn her fingers seductively, Chloe leaned forward to eradicate the distance between their bodies; she had been teased, and her body itched for satisfaction.

"Oh no you don't," a surprisingly confident whisper stopped the taller girl, "You teased me earlier.. Now it's payback time." Chloe raised an eyebrow in the darkness, however Beca couldn't see this.

"If that's how you wanna play it," the ginger replied silkily as she took a few steps back into the room and enveloping darkness. The smaller girl squinted in the limited moonlight shining on her surroundings for navigation, however found none. Chuckling slightly (nervously), the brunette stretched her arms blindly in front of her and stumbled forward a step as she whispered, "Marco". To her surprise, a giggle responded across the room, "Polo", and Beca's ears twitched to help navigate her body in the direction of the voice. She took two more steps, "Marco", to whom Chloe replied, "Polo", from the same location as previously. More confident now, Beca said, "Marco", as she marched to that route. However, she found herself halting when a voice quietly spoke from directly behind her, "Polo". An arm wrapped around her bare waist and twirled the smaller girl around.

Lips collided with hers and she immediately thrust her whole body into the kiss. Squealing at the unexpected forcefulness, Chloe lost her balance and the two girls stumbled across the room, landing on the mattress when the ginger's legs buckled against the bed frame. Laughing a little, the taller girl whispered to the girl on top of her (as they shuffled further onto the bed), "You do know how to get a girl into bed, eh Mitchell?"

"It's just one of my many talents, Beale," Beca winked back in the slithers of lucid light. Using her core strength (and Chloe could feel the flexing muscles against her body), the brunette lifted both of their bodies fully onto the bed, lying atop the covers. The two girls lay, vertically straightened, on the duvet and the ginger used her newfound position to snake an arm from under the body above her. She reached off of the bed into the darkness and a second later there was a clicking noise. Beca's dilated pupils decreased in size as the cream-coloured fairy lights hanging on the walls a few feet above the bed flicked on. However, as soon as they'd adjusted, the brunette's pupils dilated once again while she took in the naked beauty lying beneath her. Her heart raced with anticipation and a small (adorable) frown etched its way onto her forehead as she truly appreciated her situation.

"Enlighten me," Chloe grinned cheekily as she whispered the command. Her ears pricking up at the request, the smaller girl didn't need telling twice to obey; at this point, she was in too good of a position to worry herself about payback and other, now irrelevant, games. The brunette's soft lips and straight teeth started to nip and suck, pulling at the soft skin which clung to the writhing girl's angular features and toned muscles. Beca placed one of her hands behind the taller girl's exposed neck as Chloe tilted her head up to breath heavily and gasp whilst her most sensitive areas were explored. The brunette's other hand placed itself flat-out on the small of the girl's arched back, pulling the taller girl's core closer onto one of her toned thighs. Unlike previous experiences, Beca knew to be brief on Chloe's neck and jawline, with the exception of leaving a more intense love bite just behind the girl's left ear. Her lips hungrily tended to as large a surface area as she could muster before finally giving in to the temptation from the main attraction: the ginger's exposed and bouncing breasts. Humming silently in order to make her lips vibrate, the brunette placed her mouth on one of the girl's perky mounds and sucked hard. Her tongue licked and twirled against the creamy skin and rosy nipple before making a trail of rising red marks across to the other breast. Chloe gasped and moaned loudly, spurring Beca's already eager motions on.

Meanwhile, both girls thrusted their hips (and exposed cores) onto one another's moistening skin. Their insides dripped with lust and desire for one another, and Chloe's fingers gripped Beca's ass tightly to pull her closer. Tensing her pale yet defined abs, the brunette curved her lower body so as to thrust in a way which would contact her core to Chloe's. With a deep breath and mighty nip at the ginger's raised chest, the smaller girl rocked her hips forward. As soon as their flaps, dripping with cum, slid over each other smoothly both girls let out throaty groans. More forcefully, Beca repeated the action and a hushed whisper escaped from Chloe's parted lips between each brief yet satisfying thrust, "Fuck yesss Beca". Another few grinding movements and more moaning travelled from the ginger's gulping throat. Her heartrate increased while her chest moved up and down at a much faster, more desperate, pace. The smaller girl took this as her cue to slide her hand from Chloe's back around to her waist, and then down to her throbbing core. The pulsating sensations shooting through the taller girl's body got more intense as the fingertips tickled their way gently yet urgently to the drenched destination.

"OH FUCK YES!" Chloe exclaimed much louder when Beca's two fingers plunged between the dripping flaps. Their fingertips impatiently (though with expert knowledge) tended to her clit, massaging in various directions and concentrations before settling on alternating the few methods which gained the loudest groans of appreciation and hardest hip thrusts of neediness. The slender girl's body started to convulse uncontrollably as Beca's lips returned to the pulse point behind Chloe's left ear and her fingers pressed harder, seeking to massage the G-Spot simultaneously. Within seconds of the combined finger motions being introduced, the ginger dug her fingers deep into Beca's tense ass (the brunette winced slightly at the pain, however persevered). After several more squeezes and increasingly loud utterances, the ginger breathed in deeply and held the air in her strained lung capacity. Her entire body was sent into spasm, then tensed, followed by a spasm again, and then tensed yet again. This repetitive pattern went on for a full two minutes and Beca, feeling the multiple orgasms gush down onto her hand, proceeded to repeat the techniques which were serving as highly successful. Letting out the deep breath gradually between her trapped bottom lip and teeth, Chloe slowly sunk her elongated neck and arched spine back down into the springy mattress, appreciating the soft duvet beneath her. She grinned at the darker eyes staring, impressed, at her. However, before the ginger could say or do anything, Beca pecked her lightly on the jaw before wriggling (and subtly thrusting) her body down in order to line her mouth up with the other girl's exposed core post-climax.

First retrieving her drenched fingers, the smaller girl thirstily devoured the liquid coating from her fingertips to her knuckles before using her hands to gently part the ginger's thighs and lean in. Less urgently, Beca's tongue lovingly caressed cum which dripped slightly from the dampened flaps. Licking her lips, the brunette poked the tip of her tongue into the warm core. Cum immediately slid onto the lapping newcomer, welcoming its skilful friend back with a sweet greeting. Unable to resist any longer, Beca set about speedily devouring what remained to slide towards the tight opening. Her hands gripped the ginger's thighs tighter as she pushed further into the warm crevices of the lightly thrusting girl's core. Once she'd finished, the brunette rose and, smirking slightly, eyed the naked girl panting under her.

Lifting her smaller body to the side of Chloe's, Beca crawled up the bed's length in order to lie next to her recovering girlfriend. They both turned their heads to stare wondrously and admiringly at one another. After a while of gazing into one another's welcoming eyes (and once the ginger 's heartrate was more or less normal – with the exception of the occasional skipping beat when she absorbed Beca's winning grin), the taller girl opened her smiling mouth.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, just wait here," Chloe whispered silkily (despite her slightly croaky voice from the alcohol earlier that evening) as she rolled from the bed, gathered something from a shadowed corner across the room and left through her door. The silence echoed around the bedroom as the door clicked shut behind the ginger and Beca turned her head to glance at the fairy lights above. She hadn't noticed before, but the cream canvas holders for the bulbs were shaped like lotus flowers, with subtle pale pink swirls streaked onto the material. They were beautiful.. _Just like their owner.. Just like MY girlfriend,_ Beca thought to herself happily. Bringing her hands to rest behind her head, the brunette extended her legs out to stretch her body fully and her abs rippled as she tensed and relaxed between breathing in and out. Despite being naked, lying outstretched on someone else's bed (in their house), the smaller girl was feeling complete and utterly at ease. She let out a slow sigh of relief and happiness at the realisation.

* * *

There was a quiet creak; a dark figure snuck into the room and closed the door behind them. Beca, excited and nervous, propped herself onto her elbows in an attempt to see the shadow with more accuracy. As she walked through the darkness, Chloe coaxed.

"We've been getting a few complaints," she stepped into the dim lighting and Beca's jaw dropped, "About a VERY bad girl that needs teaching a lesson or two." About a foot away from the bed, the ginger stood with a pair of handcuffs swinging playfully from her right index finger. Her other hand rested on her protruding and bare hip, just above the waistline to a (ridiculously short) black leather mini skirt. Her long, bare legs emerged from the tight skirt and stood a shoulder-width apart, accentuating her powerful stature for the role. Her perky breasts were squeezed into a body-hugging black leather crop top & black lacing criss-crossed over her otherwise exposed and heaving chest. A mock constable badge was sewn to the material between the exposed cleavage area and upturned collar of the sleeveless top. Resting atop her wild ginger locks was a slightly askew pretend police cap, with a matching police officer emblem printed on the front. Beca breathed out slowly and whispered, "Holy shit, you look SO hot." Raising her eyebrows above her glinting blue eyes and smirking, the taller girl continued to speak firmly.

"You see, I think you need to learn a little about self-control, ma'am." Chloe marched forward and (in one swift leap) was expertly straddling the naked girl. Trying not to giggle and break from the character of 'sexy police officer', the ginger grabbed the smaller girl's wrists. She lifted them above the brunette's head (and gawking expression) to rest on the pillow at the head of the bed, firmly handcuffing them together. She then leaned forward, giving Beca a more-than-appreciated view of her breasts as she placed the key on a safe surface.

"I saw that," the police officer said sternly at the glazed expression staring up at her, "And your first lesson is to follow this rule.. No touching." With a grin, Chloe maintained eye contact as her fingers started to slowly unlace the fastening of her crop top. When it was fully loosened, the girl pulled out the black string and tossed it across the room. Beca licked her lips as her eyes drifted down to the perky breasts creeping out from the open front of the shirt. Next, Chloe allowed her fingers to stroke down from the brunette's sensitive jawline to her pearl-white breasts and pale abdominals. It took every inch of restraint in the smaller girl's body to not reached up and caress the beauty straddling her. Being fully aware of her girlfriend's huge efforts to not break the rule, the ginger decided to take the teasing to a new level. She deliberately and tentatively leaned forward to place a slow and passionately loving kiss on the stunned girl's rosy lips. Their mouths moulded together and, sure enough, Chloe quickly felt arms wrapping around her neck. Pulling up and away from the grip, the ginger looked down at the dazed expression below and pretended to tut disapprovingly. The smaller girl quickly moved her connected arms back to rest above her head, a bashful look growing on her face.

"You know the rule, ma'am. I'm going to have to punish you now. I think I'll take away your sight," Chloe quickly reached onto the floor to pick a silky scarf up and wrapped it loosely around Beca's bewildered eyes. Sighing with genuine reluctance at not being able to see that hypnotically intense stare, the taller girl tied it at the back, "It's a shame; you have such pretty eyes. Rule number two: No noises." The brunette's heart was beating increasingly fast, her fear and excitement for the roleplay fluttering like butterflies in her tense stomach. When Chloe readjusted her straddling position slightly, Beca felt her core throb with desire. Now completely surrounded by darkness, the brunette kept her eyes closed against the soft silk material as she suddenly felt lips clamping around her left nipple and sucking hard. The need to move her hands and groan were unbearable, and it took all of the smaller girl's inner willpower to resist the temptations as the ginger's hands started to stroke and caress the remainder of her torso-abdominal area.

At a leisurely pace, Chloe's mouth made its way down the toned upper body. She methodically bruised across the pastel skin stretching from the smaller girl's narrow shoulders diagonally down to her soft breasts, and finally across her defined abdominals along to her protruding hip bones. Chloe's lips sucked at the tender and invisible line stretching from the brunette's hips to her core, and she heard a supressed moan erupt from Beca's throat like a low growl. As punishment, the ginger bit hard on the soft skin and the body beneath her quivered both in pleasure and pain. After a few more gentle nips, Chloe proceeded to descend towards the girl's pulsing core. The brunette's rocking hips were furiously desperate to navigate the taller girl's lips to their anticipated destination and she grinded with more intensity as the other girl got desirably closer.

However, the taller girl revelled slightly in the effect she could have on her girlfriend and decided to, yet again, plant only a single kiss on her girlfriend's moist flaps. She then, teasingly, started to lick roughly and suck exuberantly at Beca's tender inner thighs. Red marks rose to the top of the smaller girl's pale skin and Chloe took this as incentive to also retrace her lips' steps with more force along the bikini line and pelvic region. Soon after completing this task, the police officer found herself admiring the blushing red region around the thrusting core. Biting her bottom lip hungrily, Chloe speculated for a second before shaking her worries (and top) off, lunging back down with a complete lack of hesitance. Her naked breasts brushed lightly against the other girl's trembling legs, sending shooting sensations to the brunette's rapidly beating heart. Another two moans escaped Beca's lips as soon as the ginger started to lick at the outside of the smaller girl's flaps. Hearing the noise, the police officer stopped and bit with equal harshness to previously on the writhing girl's inner thighs – one on each side to represent the two groans. At this surging impression striking through her sensitive skin, Beca mused at the concluded that this punishment was actually rather arousing for her, not that she expected any of Chloe's intentions to be anything but that in this instance. However, she was going to try and play by the rules nevertheless to best please the sexy police officer with immense power (and potential to tease further) over her at that point in time.

Unexpectedly, the taller girl's tongue extended to its full length and slid inside the brunette's core. Beca bit her inner cheek instinctively to prevent another noise from escaping and breathed heavily through her flared nostrils. Grinning as she felt the shiver she'd sent down the girl's spine, Chloe felt spurred on to lick harder, faster and more thoroughly. Once she'd explored the warm area inside, the ginger pushed herself further and widened the smaller girl's legs as she located the clit. Her tongue's rhythmic motions created a systematic build-up in the brunette. Chloe marvelled at how synchronised and in touch she felt with her girlfriend's body. The connection grew increasingly strong, as did the pace at which Beca bucked her hips and Chloe devoured the girl's wet insides. The taller girl would lick consistently until she felt the girl beneath her preparing to climax, and would suddenly ease off, before repeating the tormenting technique again. Eventually, the ginger felt she'd been teasing long enough to allow for the smaller girl to be rewarded with climax. Slowing her pace slightly, Chloe concentrated as she intricately twisted her tongue and swirled in a significantly sensational direction; applying pressure on a particular angle of the clit. However, this wasn't the finale..

The smaller girl's breaths were ragged, her cheek was being bitten to a point where it felt like it should be drawing blood, and her muscles were tensing as hard as they could before throbbing and releasing. Breathing in deeply, Chloe closed her eyes and frowned slightly in concentration. As she gained full awareness over her tongue's actions, the police officer meticulously coiled the instrument of torture back into her mouth before springing it forward precisely onto the clit and flicking the end accurately for additional impact. Gasping aloud, Beca's body convulsed and cum gushed onto the ginger's accepting tongue as climax was reached. Taking her time, the police officer finished the generous meal as her prisoner returned to a more relaxed, and thoroughly exhausted, state.

* * *

 **5 Minutes Later**

The ginger had lifted her body to be once again straddling the smaller girl's pelvis and removed the silky blindfold from the panting prisoner. Grinding a little against the brunette playfully, Chloe lifted a hand to tip her hat off of her head like a performer at the finale of a show before flinging it to a shadowed corner of the room casually. Beca's eyes raked over the perfect body before her as the ginger (lifting her hips and core from the girl beneath first) unfastened the skirt at the side and pulled it away from her bare lower region. Lastly, the police officer grinded her way up the smaller girl's body, their bare skin brushed against one another, as she reached for the handcuffs' key to free Beca's wrists. As soon as they were discarded, the brunette pulled her girlfriend to lie flush on top of her and whispered, "Did I redeem myself from my crimes, officer?"

"Well, you have a little more work to do when it comes to respecting the laws of noise complaints, but I won't charge you," Chloe winked back as she rolled onto her side. With precision, the taller girl pushed the duvet from under her body down and wriggled beneath. Beca, following the other girl's lead, snuggled closer to the naked body under the covers. Her hand brushed a wild strand of ginger hair to the side and she left her slim fingers to rest on her girlfriend's chiselled jawline as she leaned in and clasped their lips together in a loving kiss. Chloe snuck a thigh in between Beca's, and the brunette in turn lifted her lower leg in between the taller girl's; making their legs resemble the 'hot potato' game from childhood by slotting together like a jigsaw. One of Chloe's hands rested between Beca's neck and the pillow, while her other set of slender fingers squeezed lightly at the brunette's waist under the duvet material. One of the smaller girl's hands maintained on the other girl's jaw area, while the other rested palm-open on Chloe's bare collarbone and chest, above her rhythmic heart beating.

"So," Beca whispered, "THAT was a Halloween costume?" Her amused expression caused a spark in the electric orbs staring back at her.

"Actually, it was for an 'emergency services' themed party of Stacie's.. Hence the slutty vibe," Chloe whispered back, grinning.

"Remind to thank Stacie for.. Well, for just being her to be honest," the brunette murmured, jokingly thinking aloud.

Staring into one another's eyes, the girls slowly drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep. The feeling of their intimate embrace protected them and offered warmth to a location much deeper inside - to their hearts. This was true love.

* * *

 **2nd A/N: Due to growing popularity and questions/opinions on the narrative, I've created a forum specifically for this fanfic at** **forum/Never-Fly-Too-Close-To-The-Sun-Discussion-Questions-Requests-Etc/202891/ as well as a community. Additionally, I'd really like to involve your input into making the story the best it can be, and have created a poll which requires your attention! Thanks :)**


	23. Surprise!

**A/N Hey everyone, sorry this update took a little longer (it's a bigger chapter, and hopefully worth the wait!). I'm going to close the poll on which of the previous chapters are your favourite soon, and start making alterations to the narrative to best accommodate what's preferred - so vote now! As always, enjoy :)**

* * *

 **Saturday Morning (The Beale House)**

Throughout the night, the slithers of moonlight transformed into slices of sunshine as the hooting of owls transmuted into the chirping of swooping swallows. Balling her fists, the brunette scrunched her sleepy eyes shut as she rubbed at them before (with a yawn and a stretch) looking around. Unlike her own bedroom, this one welcomed the yellow sunlight; it bounced enthusiastically from the white suede stool in front of the long cream desk and matching cream carpet. Sun rays danced across the specks of dust settling on the pink & black speakers either side of the glossy desktop. Across the room and in the shadow of the partially drawn eggshell curtains stood a tall white wardrobe, a matching white dressing table and an identical suede stool to the desk's. In the oblong mirror was the reflection of the subtle aqua blue walls in the bedroom, as well as the juxtaposing neat piles of messy laundry. Finally, the smaller girl brought her less-bleary eyes to rest on the beauty poking out from the white duvet. The ginger locks offered an eloquent yet slightly wild border to the pretty face and its prominent features. The taller girl's eyelids were shut as she breathed softly and a miniature frown creased between her eyebrows. Even in her sleep, the teenager had managed to trap her bottom lip between her teeth lightly. Her sloped nose sniffed and the tip wriggled subtly before she suddenly lifted her long lashes. The bright blue orbs were glazed over, however (after a few repetitive blinks) quickly gained focus on the grinning girl staring into their depths. The shade of blue gave the impression of being both as deep as the ocean and shallow as a stream - it was mesmerising. The brunette lay silently on her side as her dark blue eyes felt themselves being drawn into the inevitable whirlpool of the other girl's gaze. Beca's rosy lips parted slightly and she let out a deep sigh between her grin. Sunlight bounced from her pale cheekbones. The contrast between her wavy, dark hair and shining porcelain skin put Chloe into a trance.

"Chloe," a child's voice spoke through the door and both girls flinched at the noise, "Daddy wants to know something a.. 'bout breakfast?"

Eyes wide at the interruption, and realisation of their (complete) lack of attire, Chloe let out a slight squeal. Within seconds, she was bounding across the room towards a pile of laundry. Beca watched in admiration as the ginger bent and curved her long spine to pull on a pair of bright pink underwear before grasping a baggy unisex t-shirt and slipping it on. _Damn, she's hot,_ the brunette thought as she observed her girlfriend's messy bed-head look: the wild hair falling around her beautiful face, and the bare legs emerging from the oversized top.

Noticing the smaller girl's eyes watching her, Chloe chuckled lightly (and melodically) under her breath. She skipped towards the door where Beca's discarded clothes from the previous night lay scattered. With a bare foot, she swept the items aside with the exception of the lacy black underwear, which she (after first admiring the intricate Victoria Secret design) tossed to the figure on the bed.

"Chloeeee, are you awake?" the little boy's voice whined as he started to lean on the door handle, pushing it down.

Panicking, Beca snapped from her thoughts and pulled the underwear on under the covers. As she finished this a baggy grey t-shirt smacked her in the face and she heard a quiet apology. Dazed, the brunette pulled the top over her head, her nostrils absorbing the strawberry scent of the clothing. Looking over, the smaller girl noticed her girlfriend had added a pair of navy joggers to her outfit and was opening the door fully.

A small boy with untamed ginger-blond streaky hair stood, grinning. His fringe ended in line with his light (non-existent) eyebrows, and he was notably missing one of his front teeth as he smiled. His light blue eyes scanned his sister (who was twice his height) before looking over at the brunette sat in the bed. Waddling forward a few steps into the room, the boy brought one of his pudgy hands up to wave at the pale teenager. Smiling, Beca waved back. The boy was distracted and his older sister's eyes gleamed at the attraction of an opportunity. He screamed and his eyes almost bulged from their sockets as slender arms lifted him upside down suddenly. The strawberry blond hair floated from his scalp and he started to laugh at the roaring girl twirling him around. After a few minutes, Chloe put him back down; and they both giggled adorably.

"This," the older ginger panted slightly, "Is Charlie. He's the youngest."

"I'm nearly a grown up!" the little boy frowned, indignant.

"Really?" Beca replied to Charlie, her tone impressed, "And how old would that be?"

"I'm.. Nearly SEVEN!" he squealed with excitement at the final word and both girls grinned.

"What?" the brunette gasped, pretending to be baffled, "But that's so OLD!" Charlie giggled again and his round fingers twirled circles in his thin hair.

There were footsteps up the stairs and a second later another strawberry blond boy was in the room. He was no more than a foot shorter than Chloe, and had a similarly slim build - his shoulders the broadest part of his figure. Light freckles marked their way across his high cheekbones and his messy hair hung over his eyes slightly. The boy slightly scowled at his brother before speaking, "Umm.. Charlie did you ask if they wanted pancakes? Dad needs to know."

"Whoopsie!" the younger boy gasped as he remembered his original intention for visiting. The remaining three smiled and the older boy continued, directing his attention towards Chloe, "Dad wanted to know if you'd like pancakes?"

"Umm," the ginger girl looked over to Beca who shrugged before returning her gaze to the boy, "Nahh, we'll come down and get something in a bit. Thanks though."

"Okay cool, we're off to town soon," the boy's blue-green eyes looked over to the brunette, "I'm Ethan by the way", and he smiled.

"Hey, I'm Beca," the girl grinned back.

"Oh, we know who you are," Ethan scoffed slightly and grinned as if he was part of an inside joke, "I'm pretty sure you're, like, the ONLY thing Chloe thinks about."

"Hey!" Ethan's sister objected, blushing slightly and giving him a playful shove, "Just because I have friends." Ethan stuck his tongue out jokingly, "Pretty sure you're just a stalker." The two siblings mocked one another a few more times before Ethan, remembering his original quest, took Charlie's hand and led him back downstairs to tell their dad the answer to the question. Chloe closed her bedroom door and turned, biting her lip hungrily, to the bed.

"So," Beca started as her girlfriend slowly advanced, "I'm all you ever think about, eh?" She quirked an eyebrow and smirked as the other girl crawled atop the covers (and her body). When their mouths were simply inches apart, the ginger whispered, "Not quite, I also think about what I want to do to/with you." Snorting in amusement, the brunette parted her lips to reply but was unable to do so. Instead, she felt a tongue pushing between them into her mouth as a hand gripped her neck to pull their faces closer together. It wasn't long before Beca, too, was poking her tongue into her girlfriend's warm chasm and allowing her hands to roam under the baggy t-shirt. Chloe sighed into the kiss as the brunette's hands located her breasts; massaging expertly. The taller girl's free hand started to trail down to the other girl's lacy underwear clinging to her thin waist. Beca allowed the ginger to push her back into a position of lying down, her head propped up slightly by both Chloe's hand on her neck and a soft pillow. As the smaller girl pushed with increasing power against the ginger's perky breasts, she heard satisfying moans leak through the tunnel between their colliding lips. This motivated the brunette to proceed, but also Chloe; as her right hand's fingers stopped skimming under the lacy material and instead took a full dive under. Gasping, Beca's entire body shuddered in surprise as she felt the hand grip her core. Having broken the kiss, the ginger's lips started to suck at the pulse point behind the smaller girl's ear. The brunette's hands slid, still beneath the t-shirt, to scratch at the taller girl's upper back. The muscles rippled slightly beneath Beca's grip as Chloe's fingers started to thrust inside her damp core. The brunette bucked unwittingly and her shallow breathing was uneven. Concentrating hard on loosening the area rhythmically, a small bead of sweat trickled from the ginger's roots towards her sloped nose. Biting at the writhing girl's neck dramatically, the taller girl took the loud groan as an opportunity to slip in a third finger. In the tight space, Chloe started to use the new position to her advantage as she applied varying frequencies of harder and softer pressure to Beca's clit while the third finger roamed for her G-Spot. Locating it, the taller girl felt the body convulse under her. Spurred on to bring her girlfriend to satisfaction, the tendon's in the ginger's forearms flexed insatiably, and her upper back moved nonchalantly as the other girl's fingernails dug in and clawed. Within seconds, the brunette's core was clenching and releasing as the remainder of her body was sent in spasm. Soft lips collided with hers in a loving and passionate manner, halting her breathing as her heart raced and cum surged through her core. As she relaxed into the pillow and breathed deeply, Beca watched Chloe sit back up and remove both her hands from their original hold. The taller girl's frown had vanished and she released her trapped bottom lip to silkily whisper, "That's what I think about." Grinning, Beca stared endearingly into the bright blue orbs and waited for her heart to return to its more natural pace before clearing her throat.

"I love you, weirdo," she croaked huskily.

"I love you too, Becs," Chloe cooed before leaning down to plant a tender kiss on the girl's rosy lips.

* * *

 **30 Minutes Later**

"So, my dad just texted," Beca murmured as she stared at her phone screen. She was stood over her black overnight bag by the bed which she'd dropped off at Chloe's house the previous evening before they'd made their way to town.

"Mmhmm," the ginger hummed to show she was paying attention as she opened a drawer at the bottom of her wardrobe.

"He said.. It's weird.. He's texted that he's going to pick us up," the smaller girl frowned in confusion, "He NEVER wants to give me a lift once he's seen a place and knows it's not, like, a crack house. Chuckling, Chloe replied, "Maybe he still thinks mine might be.. Or, alternatively, he wants to give himself enough time to make sure you look.. presentable by his standards before the relatives arrive."

"Shit!" Beca exclaimed, "I completely forgot about them visiting.. You really did well on the whole distracting thing." The brunette turned to look at the other girl as she too twirled away from the wardrobe. Smiling genuinely, Beca spoke, "Thanks," and Chloe curtsied, "Pleasure's all mine, ma'am!" Flashbacks from the roleplay of the previous night appeared in the brunette's mind and she blushed before quickly turning back to her bag. Seeing this, Chloe giggled as she too turned back to fetching the necessary clothes for the day.

Sighing, the ginger pulled off her baggy t-shirt and dropped it the floor. She heard a similar noise echo behind her and, curious, turned to see the other girl, naked and pulling up a clean pair of underwear. Chloe politely coughed and, seeing the brunette jump, burst out laughing. The smaller girl turned and pretended to frown, placing her hands on her hips as if to challenge the laughter. However, there was no need; the ginger's laughter died immediately in her throat as her widening eyes observed the topless girl in front. Deep purple bruises stood out from the pale skin, spreading from the brunette's left breast down across her defined abs, poking out from the waistline of the underwear, and finally ending in identical trails down each inner thigh. A sigh escaped and the taller girl examined where the bruises were deepest (recalling her enjoyment at the reaction she'd received from each bite and suck on the soft skin).

"Wow.." Chloe's quiet voice died off and her eyebrows raised themselves in an attempt to run into her scalp. Smirking, Beca looked down at the blemishes before observing the ginger and replying, "Speak for yourself, Beale." Hearing this, the taller girl's eyes immediately snapped down and she gasped at the sight: bruises snaked their way down her torso, particularly intense on her creamy breasts, before continuing all the way down to her core. In certain areas (especially under her prominent collarbones) there appeared to be more purple blemishes than natural skin. Chloe's hand reached to subconsciously rub the left side of her neck in wonder, however found her fingers pressing against a tender spot. She winced a little and, frowning, pressed again.

"Oh yeah, that's a pretty dark one.. But your hair should hide it," Beca explained with a small smile. Chuckling under her breath, Chloe grinned, "Don't worry, I think I may have given you a matching hickie this morning." Laughing, the two girls stared at one another's bodies, raking their gleaming eyes up and down their girlfriend's figure before reluctantly turning back to getting changed.

* * *

 **10 Minutes Later**

Beca pulled on her black & white ankle socks to rest underneath her dark blue ripped skinny jeans. Her black & white baseball tee had its black sleeves shoved up to rest at the elbows and Chloe admired the girl's flexing forearms as she watched through her dressing table mirror, before returning to her application of mascara. After checking her phone for an update from her dad (and being relieved to find none), the brunette tasked herself with shoving her clothes from the previous day into her overnight bag. She then grabbed her toiletries and exited to walk across the hallway into the bathroom. Once in there, the smaller girl smiled to herself at how amazing the previous 12 hours had been as she finalised making herself 'presentable'. After brushing her teeth and going to the toilet, Beca brushed her unruly hair and braided the side which didn't have a bruised neck. Fastening this side of brunette hair tight against her scalp, the smaller girl nodded at the edgy-yet-vaguely-smart hairstyle approvingly before starting on mascara. Deciding not to look too 'alternative', the brunette settled on only a thin application of eyeliner to only her top lids. She spread a smooth layer of balm onto her rosy lips before returning to the bedroom.

Chloe was still sat with a perfect posture on the stool at her dressing table. She was wearing her navy suede ankle boots and displayed her bare legs to just above the knee, where her dress ended. The dress was a matching navy blue with turquoise circles and darker blue diamonds (with thin white outlines) dotted over the fabric. Her arms were bare and the clothing snugly fit to her torso before spreading out into an A-shaped skirt. The beautiful teenager was in the process of straightening her ginger hair when she noticed the brunette through the mirror and smiled, her glossy lips glistening in the light.

* * *

 **7 Minutes Later**

Chloe slipped the golden ring onto her right index finger before picking up her phone and overnight bag in one hand, and then skipping over to join the smaller girl waiting patiently at the top of the stairs. They walked down, chatting, and dropped their bags by the front door. Beca sat to slip her shoes on before joining the ginger in the kitchen.

"D'you want any breakfast.. Or brunch, I guess," the taller girl chimed as she peeled the lid from a vanilla yoghurt and dug her spoon in.

"Umm.. I'm good thanks," Beca replied as the other girl hummed at the sweet taste of her food. Finishing her mouthful, Chloe responded, "Okay. You know today will be fine, right?" The ginger had read the worry etched into the smaller girl's face and the way she was consistently shifting her weight from one red converse canvas-covered foot to the other. Putting the yoghurt on the wooden work surface, Chloe stepped forward and pulled Beca into a tight hug. The embrace lasted a few minutes, and the smaller girl appreciated the strawberry scent as she inhaled deeply. When she pulled back the taller girl spoke softly, "I'm going to make sure it's alright." Nodding in appreciation, the nervous teenager forced a small smile and waited while her girlfriend finished and discarded the empty yoghurt pot. After washing the spoon and placing it on the drying rack, Chloe turned and looked at the clock on the wall.

As soon as the seconds hand reached the top to click the ornament into chiming the hour, there was a thudding knock at the door. Gently grasping the brunette's shaking hands in her own, Chloe grinned, "Showtime!", and led the way to their bags. Before opening the door, the ginger squeezed Beca's hands and reluctantly let go.

* * *

 **25 Minutes Later**

Dr Mitchell kindly offered to carry the two girls' bags inside the house from the car, which gleamed in the sunlight after its early morning wash & wax: prepped for visitors' speculation. Inside the hallway not a single ornament or shoe was out of place. The light walls shone and the carpets in surrounding rooms were recently hoovered. A smell of fresh fruit and coffee travelled from the kitchen area, along with the sound of heels as Sheila rounded the corner. Smiling brightly, the blonde woman squealed, "Hi girls! How are you both?" Beca quietly murmured a response and shrugged nonchalantly, while Chloe exposed her dazzling smile and spoke, "Pretty good thanks, Sheila. How are you?" Taken aback by the genuinely inquisitive tone from the ginger, the woman appeared to be flustered for a few seconds before scrambling to reply through her bright lip-stick and wide mouth. Grinning, Benjamin felt reassured that Chloe's presence wasn't a bad idea and interjected to suggest that they take their bags up before everyone was to arrive.

"Ooh, hang on!" Sheila squealed, dashing back into the kitchen before emerging once again. On her left hand she balanced a plate which displayed a combination of carrot sticks & cucumber slices along with grapes, cheese and crackers. She offered it forward and Beca stepped in to hold it.

"I wasn't sure whether either of you would be hungry. It'll be an early dinner/late lunch today, so wanted to provide some snacks in the meantime," the woman explained as she appreciatively saw both girls eye the food (even Beca felt a little hungry at the array of bright foods).

"Thanks, Sheila," the brunette smiled genuinely and looked up to the blonde.

"Yeah, this is a really great selection," Chloe chimed, "Thank you."

"How's the English assignment going?" Dr Mitchell asked before the girls had reached the stairs with their belongings. Caught off-guard by the question, the couple froze before Beca quickly pulled on an expression which she hoped looked less frantic.

"Err," she cleared her throat, "It's actually tougher than expected. Stacie's advice was umm.. Really helpful, but we definitely need all the time we can get!" The brunette had a joking tone which came across as slightly exasperated to her father, who was impressed at his daughter's determination in the face of a difficult task. He nodded, "Well, keep at it! I'll call you down when they all start to arrive, until then feel free to crack on."

"Okay, cool," Dr Mitchell's daughter replied and smiled before proceeding to lead the way up to her bedroom.

Once inside, both girls sighed. _How were they both ALREADY exhausted at keeping up a fake exterior?_ Both girls pondered on the question in mind as they made their way to collapse atop the light grey sheets spread on the bed.

"We should probably put out books and stuff to keep up this whole 'English assignment' thing," the ginger spoke softly, breaking the silence.

"Good idea," Beca commended in response as she lifted her weighted body from the bed and busied herself opening textbooks and notepads. Chloe helped lay it all out on the thick carpet of the bedroom, leaving enough space around the exercise books & writing utensils for both girls to lie flat on their stomachs. Propping her head up with her slender fingers, the taller girl frowned, "So, remind me again which relatives are which?"

Pretending to sigh in annoyance, the brunette smiled over and replied, "Okay, so Sheila's family live in Essex mainly, and they never visit. My mum is up north, along with my cousins and other relatives on her side. My dad has a sister (Auntie Josie). Can you remember anything about her?"

"Ooh!" the other girl's eyes gleamed with excitement like a little schoolgirl as she recited from her buzzing memory, "She's married to.. Jared? No.. Jerry! And they have three young sons; Ben, Jake and Tom." Chloe pulled a face as she said the final name.

"Yeah, sorry about the coincidence there," Beca grimaced before continuing, "But yes you're right. Josie's basically 'daddy's little princess' and a bitch to anyone she doesn't deem worthy. So, then you have Grandma & Grandpa.. He's fat and Welsh, she's thin and uptight, but they make their marriage work somehow. Grandpa's sister is Great Aunt Grace, who's married to Great Uncle Richard. They have two daughters-"

"Jess and Corrie!" the ginger interjected, apologetic yet pleased with her immediate recall.

"Correct," the smaller girl smiled.

"Who's arriving today? Also.. this may sound odd as a question, but why are you having a family gathering in February?" Chloe queried, honestly curious to know the answer.

"Umm.. We don't normally have family gatherings to be honest: Christmas is hell enough. So, I guess there's some kind of surprise that requires everyone. Maybe it's a celebration about immigration laws tightening or electro-shock therapy being reinstated campaigns?" the brunette chuckled darkly and the other girl frowned (almost incredulous), "Anyway, as for who's coming.. Everyone we've discussed on my dad's side.. Other than Jess probably."

"Becs," the ginger removed a palm from under her chin and reached across the English books to hold her girlfriend's hand, "Are they seriously that bad?" She felt a slight tremble in the grasp as the smaller girl replied slowly, "They have their ups and downs.. But to people like us.. Wh- Who don't fit into their traditional views.. Yes, yes they're definitely THAT bad." Beca's bottom lip shook as her face turned ashen, remembering comments and events from her past. Seeing this pain fall upon the brunette's face, Chloe crawled across the carpet and swept the smaller girl's shaking body into a tight embrace. Whispering in the girl's heavily studded ear, the ginger offered comfort, "It'll be fine, I'm not going to let them hurt you this time." The taller girl's warm breath tickled Beca's ear drum and she felt a loosening in her knotted stomach at the sound of the silky voice. Once her breathing had calmed, the girl lifted her intense gaze to the face only inches from hers as she spoke in a hushed tone, "I love you SO much, Chlo." The bright orbs sparkled back and the growing smile caused crinkles around the ginger's eyes at her melodic reply, "I love you, too.. Very much so."

Closing her bright eyes, Chloe leaned forward and the distance between the girls' lips diminished. The glossy texture surged against the soft barriers to Beca's mouth, only resisting for a few seconds before allowing the taller girl's tongue to slide in. She moaned quietly in appreciation, her jewellery-clad fingers tangling in Chloe's straightened hair. The jabbing ring of the doorbell sliced through the building atmosphere and, panicked, both girls pulled back from the kiss immediately. Downstairs, the sound of Dr Mitchell's footsteps walked to the front door and his voice resonated in emphasised happiness as he greeted the guests. Great Aunt Grace's fake cheeriness and Great Uncle Richard's booming laughter reached the teenagers' pricked ears. There was some more muffled speech as the arrivals entered, presumably from Corrie, before the host was heard saying, "Come on in, I'll show you where you're staying." He led them purposefully to the study (where he'd earlier moved his desk to the edge and set up the double sofa bed and a further mattress on the floor). There was a lack of footsteps for a minute or so, and the two girls upstairs eagerly reconnected their hungry lips.

The brunette's hands didn't want to mess up her girlfriend's hair and instead trailed their way down her body. Tickling through the thin dress' material, Beca's fingers (lined with black and silver rings) curved their route from the ginger's lower back around to her thighs and the hem of the clothing. Grinning into the kiss as Chloe pushed harder with her tongue, the smaller girl's fingers started to teasingly poke underneath.

"SURPRISE!" a voice shouted as the bedroom door flung open. Wide-eyed, Beca retracted her hands and Chloe pushed herself back across the thick carpet - hitting her elbow on the edge of the desk and yelping. However, the brunette didn't hear this as her heart's beating rattled against her thudding ribcage. A figure in the door stood, hands on their hips, raising their eyebrows down at the two teenagers. She was dressed in moss green cord trousers which flared out subtly at the bottom and were the exact same shade as her eyes, a well-fitted white shirt lazily left untucked atop the trouser waistline. The shirt was unbuttoned at the top, giving way to a 'surfer' necklace, and the sleeves were clumsily rolled to halfway up the tanned forearms.

"What have we here, I wonder," the woman smirked, her green eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Jess!" Beca squealed happily, a grin growing on her flushed face, "I.. I didn't know you were coming?" The girl stammered a little, still recovering her breathing.

"Yeah, I've got to be here for the big announcement," the woman rolled her eyes and shrugged before turning apologetically to the ginger and smiling, "Where are my manners? I'm Jess, the older black sheep of the family." She offered a bony hand down to the teenager.

"Nice to meet Beca's role model," Chloe smiled back as if she hadn't been completely caught off-guard and flustered moments ago, "I'm Chloe." Standing to shake the woman's hand with a firm grip first, the ginger then made the calculated decision to re-seat herself on the bed. This was a good choice; temptations of being close to her girlfriend were avoidable.

"You're good," Jess admired, acknowledging the girl's talented recovery skills before looking over at Beca, "Whereas.. You're kinda shit," and she winked at the nervous brunette. Walking into the room further and closing the door behind her, the woman spoke less jokingly, "Seriously though, that could have been anyone walking in.. I advise you just don't take the risk while this whole gathering is happening - otherwise you'll be a second, less appreciated, announcement."

"It was my fault," Chloe looked embarrassed at her weakness in the moment, and she tilted her eyes down like a child being ridiculed.

"Don't worry, it's just a pre-warning for the sharks," Jess laughed at the cuteness of the ginger, "Anyway, it looked like you two were getting somewhere.."

"H- How much did you see?" Beca queried, finally finding her proper voice.

"You guys moved like lightning, so not much. But," the woman smirked and sat down on the thick carpet, "I saw how quickly you moved your hands to the floor.. So I can hazard a guess." Eyes wide, the younger brunette hastily replied, "We err.. We weren't doing THAT.. I just.. I panicked."

"I see," Jess replied in a disbelieving tone and mockingly narrowed her eyes, "Well, no need to panic around me." She stretched her arms above her head and yawned before lying out and sighing.

"Did you fly in this morning?" the ginger chimed.

"Nahh, I'm a cheapskate student.. So, I got the train, then a coach, then a few buses for the past 12 hours or so; leaving me in the BEST shape to see all of the family," Jess' sarcasm amused Chloe, displaying the likeness between the two brunettes in the room.

"Wait," Beca's forehead creased at the information, "Did your parents not give you a lift from the coach station?" Chuckling to herself, the woman replied, "Err no.. Dear old Ma and Pa aren't happy with me right now.. We've had a little disagreement."

"Are you okay?" the girl on the bed spoke up, genuine concern on her face.

"I've never been better!" the light brown-haired adult replied with a wave of her hand, dismissing any notions of being upset.

"Did you tell them about Alex?" The urgency for a reply and worry was clear in the small girl's intonation.

"Umm.. Not quite," Jess sighed, "I told my parents that Alex and I are pretty serious about each other," she looked over to Chloe, "Alex is my girlfriend, the family mistakenly think 'she' is actually a 'he'," the ginger nodded to show her understanding, "And I asked my mum whether I could have her grandmother's ring.."

"Whoa," Beca breathed as her mind connected the dots, "You want to propose to Alex?"

"Yeah, I mean not just yet, but probably on our anniversary in May," the older brunette continued, "However, Mum said that to get engaged to me, Alex would have 'to be a man' and ask for the ring 'himself'.. The choice of words are ironic, I know." A grim look was spread across all three faces and Chloe was the first to break the silence, "I'm so sorry.. Is the ring special to you?"

"Not particularly," Jess answered, "But it's more than I could ever afford as a student, and it really highlights how committed I am to her because of it being from my family, you know?" The ginger nodded sympathetically, and Beca murmured agreement.

 _Knock knock._

"Hi, girls," Dr Mitchell spoke as he opened the door and surveyed the array of textbooks and notepads scattered on the carpet, "Sorry to interrupt Jess' giving of tips on your assignment. Beca, could I borrow you for a second?" Benjamin's daughter stood and left the room to follow her father down the stairs and into the empty living room.

"I need to ask a favour," the man spoke in a slightly concerned tone (clearly trying to fix an altercation in his plans), "If Corrie's boyfriend can't make it over for dinner and then drive her back to his afterwards, she'll need to stay in the study on the single mattress in there with Grace & Richard on the sofa bed. That means Jess is left without a bed.. Josie, Jerry and the boys are leaving after dinner, your grandparents are staying in mine and Sheila's room, and we're staying in here," he gestured to a mattress resting against a bookshelf and ran a hand through his thinning hair, "Could Jess stay on the extra single mattress in your room please?".

"Umm.. Okay," Beca replied. It admittedly wasn't ideal for her and Chloe; however Jess was a more preferable relative to be staying in her room.

"Really? Well, that's a huge help," Dr Mitchell sighed with relief slightly before frowning to again, "So.. If Jess stays on the spare mattress and you're in your bed, where will Chloe go?"

"With me," his daughter replied, indignant at first before quickly realising she was talking to someone unaware of the circumstances and corrected her protective tone, "We can err.. Top & tail."

"Are you alright with that? I don't want you packed like sardines, I can always drive Chloe home this eveni-"

"No!" Beca objected and her dad raised his eyebrows, alarmed, "I mean, that's just a hassle for you and adds to everything you're organising. We'll manage it."

"If you're sure," Dr Mitchell smiled, "It's only if Corrie is staying, anyway."

"Yeah," his daughter nodded, understanding. As she spun on her sock-covered heel to return to her bedroom, the doorbell chimed once again and Beca inwardly cursed her bad luck. Trudging to the front door, Beca opened it wide enough for the family of five to march inside.

"Beca, how lovely to see you!" Aunt Josie exclaimed as she entered the hallway and pulled her niece in to deliver a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Nice to see you too," the brunette replied awkwardly, "How was the traffic?"

"God-awful for a Saturday morning," Uncle Jerry interjected as he joined his wife's lead in wrapping the teenager in a hug and showered her in his bad breath as he spoke, "They should tell you that Saturday morning on the motorway is like rush hour Friday evening!"

"That bad, huh?" Dr Mitchell asked sincerely as he shook Jerry's hand and gave his sister a hug. As the adults spoke about road works and generally complained about nothing important, Beca tried to edge her way towards the stairs. Noticing this, her father turned to her and asked, "Can you help the boys set up their games in the living room?" Groaning inwardly, the brunette traipsed through to check on the wrestling trio of pre-pubescent males as the realisation that her dad was in stressed-host mode dawned on her.

* * *

 **5 Minutes Later**

Tom, Ben and Jake had rushed into the kitchen to shove snacks from the nervous blonde hostess down their rude and greedy throats, leaving their older cousin to set up the 'toys'. The girl had rolled her eyes as she observed the state-of-the-art gaming system with connections to the most modern Xbox & PlayStation. Untangling herself from the wires, Beca had managed to connect the relevant cables into the TV screen's available sockets. She turned back to get the remote for the television and stopped. In the doorway stood the beautiful ginger, the bare skin on her arms shining golden in the sunlight from outside. Chloe's eyes had been looking down towards waist height and her bottom lip was ensnared. Waking herself from the trance, the taller girl walked into the room fully and whispered, "This really isn't going to be easy for me." Smirking, Beca leaned closer to the girl and was about to reply smoothly when a voice interrupted.

"You know," Jess spoke nonchalantly as she entered, "Whispering with lustful looks in your eyes really isn't going to fool even the blindest of fascists and witch hunters." Clearing her throat, Beca straightened her posture and apologised, before turning her full attention to the remote. She was concentrating so hard that the brunette hadn't even realised she was once again alone in the room for a full minute after the other two had left.

"It's connected," Ben (the oldest of the trio) excitedly yelled as they all re-entered the room with bags of crisps in their hands. Without thanking Beca, they shoved past her to take position on the sofa and grabbed their controllers. The boys chattered competitively to one another, hurling the occasional insult. As she slowly retreated towards the door, the brunette heard one of the boys shout, "Oi Jake, stop trying to overtake in your gay car."

"It's not gay," Jake (the youngest) replied, "It's just crap."

"Well duh," the same brother as before (Tom) argued back condescendingly, "That's what gay means."

"No," Ben interjected, "Gay is the word given to freaks. If something's crap it's just crap. If someone's gay they're a freak." Hearing this, Beca decided it best to bite her tongue and leave before she could become involved in the immature dispute.

"Ahh, just the person I'm looking for!" Great Aunt Grace called down the hallway to the sullen teenager, "Beca, can you give Richard a hand with the bags?" Plastering on a fake smile, the girl replied sweetly, "Yeah sure."

"Great! He's just outside unlocking the car," the woman's tightly curled blonde hair bobbed as she began walking back into the kitchen where Corrie, Sheila and Josie sounded like they were conversing. Obeying the trapping request, Beca slid a pair of shoes she always left by the front door onto her small feet and stepped outside.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"So," Jess started as she and Chloe pulled the mattress from under Beca's bed (they'd been tasked with that while the brunette helped the boys downstairs with their games), "Last time I saw Beca was Christmas.. And she didn't give the impression of being with anyone." The bedroom door was closed and everyone else could be heard to be distracted downstairs or outside by the car.

"Well, we were friends before Christmas, but I started at Barden the first day back after the holidays," the ginger replied as her biceps flexed to pull the unwilling mattress out.

"Ahh," the woman replied, "How's your dating history?"

"Umm," Chloe mused, "Male.. But I don't really see the gender, if that makes sense?"

"Yeah, it does," Jess took a deep breath and pulled the first corner from under the bed's leg, "I hope this doesn't sound rude, but why Beca?" The taller girl laughed at the question as if it were ridiculous and replied simply, "It's Beca.. I'd be stupid to ever overlook her entirety."

"Good answer!" the other woman replied and smiled, "You know, I think I may even give you the stamp of approval if you keep up the good game."

"As honoured as I am by that, it's no game to me.. I love her," Chloe replied sincerely, making eye contact.

"Whoa, hang on," Jess abruptly stopped what she was doing, "You've only been going out for, like, a month, right? You're 17 years old and she's the first girl you've ever been with. Do you not think it's too early for the whole 'love' thing?"

"You're probably right," the ginger sighed and nonchalantly shrugged, "But I haven't felt like this with anyone before. And, yes, I'm young, however surely not being able to get her out of your head since the first day you met says something? I mean, it just feels SO right." Chloe's face lit up like a lightbulb as she remembered the first time she saw Beca and she let out another sigh, her eyes glazing over.

"Okay," the older female replied, bringing the other girl back to reality, "Sounds to me like the honeymoon period. Just.. Just be careful; Beca has a tendency to distance dramatically whenever she starts to feel enclosed or trapped." Nodding in understanding, Chloe looked into the concerned green eyes, "I'm going to take care of her, I promise."

"Oh, I can tell you will! I just want you to look out for yourself too, seeing as she can hurt people when she retreats," Jess appeared to wince at a memory briefly before clearing her head and returning to pulling the mattress out.

"Thank you for the advice, I'll do my best to put it into practice," the ginger replied as she tugged the final corner from underneath Beca's bedframe. Panting, they both took a second to recover from the manual labour before Jess grabbed the white sheet from a pile of bed covers they'd brought in. Unfolding it messily, the short woman flung the material out and Chloe's long fingers clasped the end nearest to her as it floated through the air. The ginger started to spread the sheet across the springy mattress and hesitated, "Jess?"

"Hmm?" the older female replied as she fastened one corner of the white material to the mattress' curved edge.

"I'm worried about something.. About how to handle a situation," the ginger spoke slowly and nervously, fiddling with the sheet between her fingers.

"Okay, if this is a sex thing I need to stop you there; she's my cousin's daughter and I just can't think of her being anything more than a little dorky tomboy," the brunette smiled jokingly as she looked over.

"It's err.. There's no issue to discuss there, I can assure you," Chloe grinned to herself (and the grimacing woman opposite) before remembering her worry and resuming her anxious appearance, "So, our classmates know about Beca and my relationship. I guess.. I'm worried Benjamin or Sheila will find out through other's gossiping about the scandal."

"Ahh, that's not likely," Jess reassured with a smile, "As mean as some of those classmates undoubtedly are, they know to NEVER spread malicious lies and rumours outside of their social circles. Parents are essentially another species, and it's unlikely that'll happen. Also, Benjamin works across town in a private clinic - parents aren't going to want to potentially upset a guy they need help from. As for Sheila, she either already knows and actually doesn't give a fuck, or she'll find out and not tell her husband because, let's face it, he'll shoot the messenger before shooting you and locking away his daughter." The joke at the end misguided Chloe and her eyes started to widen in fear. Scrambling to save the situation, the woman spoke clearly, "Basically, you don't need to worry. Okay?"

"O- Okay, thanks," the taller girl managed a smile as she calmed and busied herself with the sheet. Next, she grabbed a pillow and pillowcase from the pile of spare cream bedding and started to slide the former into the latter.

"Hey, strangers," a voice spoke from the door, which was now open fully. Beca walked in, carrying Jess' navy overnight bag and placing it to the side of the additional mattress. She frowned at the females, "You're both guests: you shouldn't be prepping the bed.."

"You're cute, but it's fine. We've been having a chat," Jess replied teasingly, winking knowingly at the hesitant brunette.

"Err.. Wh- What about?" Beca cleared her throat while mild panic spread across her face.

"Well, Chloe told me how you're a tiger in the bedroom-" the older brunette chuckled.

"And Jess told me how you used to incessantly follow her around.. naked," the tallest girl added and quirked a brow at her blushing girlfriend.

"Okay, that's out of context," Beca mumbled in response and the other two burst out laughing. _At least they have teasing me in common,_ the girl mused to herself before stepping in to help her dad's cousin wrestle a duvet into its cream cover.

* * *

 **50 Minutes Later**

"Afternoon everyone," Beca smiled as she walked into the dining area and surveyed the collection of relatives sat around the wooden table (all adults were present, including the late arrival of her grandparents, whereas the three boys remained eating snacks from Sheila and playing video games in the living room). She took a free seat next to Sheila; Dr Mitchell (as host) was at the head of the table, to his left were his wife and two spare seats for Beca & Chloe. Next to the girls were Josie & Grace. This was followed by Beca's grandpa at the opposite head of the table, then her grandma to his left, next to Richard, Corrie, Jess and Jerry. The table had a line of pretty plates, white with a gold trim, of various biscuits and chocolates down the centre, empty mugs at each placemat along with a teaspoon and smaller, matching plates.

Chloe followed Beca's lead and took the only remaining empty seat, chiming happily, "Hi, I'm Chloe - Beca's friend. It's nice to meet you all." Sheila then cut in before the questions could start to take orders of coffee or tea from everyone, unwittingly giving the couple a moment to breathe sighs of relief.

"So," Grandpa bellowed in his Welsh accent across the table to his son, "How's work been, Benjamin?" Beca relaxed into her typical exterior appearance of being smiley and attentive while her mind mentally noted how much longer the charade was for. Her stepmum, in the meantime, nervously transported trays of tea bags and dispensed coffee to fill people's mugs. Looking at the array of symmetrically placed biscuits, the small brunette had to acknowledge that Sheila deserved some credit for all of the work she'd put in. However, if any of the males at the table were to speak on the topic, they'd simply say she was fulfilling two of the three duties as a wife: 'Maintaining the house', and secondly 'Cooking for/Entertaining' guests. Faintly hearing a particularly sweet voice speak up from the dying male's guffaws of laughter, Beca brought herself back to the present to listen to the girl next to her answer a question.

"Yes, I'd say I have aspirations in life," the ginger smiled at Dr Mitchell, who'd presumably asked the question, "However, I'm open to change and new opportunities which may arise along the way."

"And what about you, Beca? Any goals in mind for the future?" Grandpa bellowed across the table. Seeing the warning flash across her father's dark eyes, the brunette paused before replying, "I'm keeping an open mind right now." The ambiguity of her answer allowed for the particular topic to die out, and Richard started to moan about the ridiculous prices in supermarkets and shops were these days. His wife, Grace, cut in when he started to moan about how Valentine's Day was just a scam from large corporations to get more money. The woman adjusted the lavender cardigan resting across her shoulders as she argued that it wasn't about money at all, and that people still buy into the business. Corrie, in a similar aqua cardigan and cream shirt nodded along to this saying curtly, "It's romantic, Daddy". A small smirk played on Beca's lips as she saw Jess trying to withhold laughter at her doe-eyed sister's remark.

"What about you girls? You're our future generation! Is Valentine's Day tradition about buying into these scams (albeit for romance) or not?" Uncle Jerry cut in to the minor family dispute. All of the eyes moved to shine their wondrous gaze of the two teenagers. Beca spoke as confidently and vaguely as she could muster, "I think that Valentine's Day is about treating the one you love most intimately to whatever will show your appreciation of them most. To some, that may mean buying lots of stereotypical gifts such as the heart-shaped chocolates, flowers, teddy bears, etc. But to others, that might be as simple as taking your loved one to a special location.. Like, where you had a first or particularly momentous date. I think it err.. It differs depending upon who you're spending it with." She blushed a little and looked away as she felt the intrigued orbs glued to her; including Chloe's. The ginger was mesmerised at her girlfriend's answer.. _Such an immense amount of natural knowledge to do with romance,_ the taller girl thought, impressed.

"Sounds like your daughter is ready to me," Richard chortled as he spoke to Dr Mitchell. Frowning slightly, Benjamin replied, "She's too busy keeping up her grades and opening doors to the future for THAT nonsense. Right, kiddo?" The man looked at his daughter, almost for reassurance that his (still little) girl wasn't growing up or a potential teenage pregnancy.

"Right," Beca smiled weakly before adding with more confidence, "No distractions from the future." The brunette's father nodded, satisfied with the answer, as did Jess (subtly).

"What about you, Chloe? Surely you've got a date lined up for this romantic festivity!" Aunt Josie enthusiastically asked the girl sat to her right.

"Umm.. Actually," Chloe spoke as if in deep thought, "I don't have anything properly lined up.."

"You sure about that?" Great Uncle Richard laughed, nodding towards Beca's slightly gaping expression, "Her face says otherwise!" This gave the two girls an opportunity to briefly make eye contact, and the bright blue orbs staring into her intense gaze gave the smaller girl the motivation she needed to keep on top of her game. She corrected her surprised facial expression and cleared her throat, "I umm.. I was just a little surprised myself, seeing as Chloe works so hard that she deserves a break." _Not too shoddy of a recovery, Mitchell,_ she thought to herself and inwardly smirked.

"Biology, Psychology, English Literature and Music," the ginger responded to the question of what she A Levels she was studying which was asked by Corrie.

"Psychology, eh?" Grandpa bellowed, "Best not to teach women that or they'll read our minds and know what we really mean by going to see a man about a dog!" His fat stomach shook with laughter and his large face went pink. The other men laughed loudly along with the intimidating man at the joke. He wheezed before proceeding, "Don't get too good at it," he spoke to the patiently smiling ginger, "Or your little brain might trick you into thinking you can pursue a man's career!" The laughter echoed yet again and Beca, infuriated as well, could almost feel the heat surging through the taller girl's body. It took her entire willpower not to squeeze Chloe's hand for comfort, or excuse them from the table curtly.

"Well said, sir," the ginger replied almost mockingly through a tight smile and narrowed eyes, "In fact, the only reason I do biology is to know the best ways for me to reproduce my husband's spawn, music to sing nursery rhymes to the children in the correct key, and English to read the best bedtime tales." There was silence. The previously laughing relatives appeared at a loss; were they to laugh as if it were a joke or agree with her comment? Jess started to chuckle, breaking the silence, and polite smiles stretched across the tight lips of the older audience. Beca beamed at her girlfriend, unable to fully contain the pride she felt at that point. Her glee shone through the wide smile like sun rays blasting through a clouded sky. Chloe turned, concerned, to glance at her girlfriend as another topic of conversation (gardening) was started by Grandma. To her delight, the smaller girl was grinning like a little child who'd been handed a bag full of their favourite sweets. Across the table, Jess still smiled in admiration at the ginger's gutsy way of standing up for herself.. Especially against their bullfrog 'elder'.

"Chloe, I don't recall you ever answering about your Valentine's Day plans.. Or hopes, at least," Corrie started once the conversation topic had somehow rounded on the boring young adult to mind-numbingly discuss her boyfriend Trevor and their steady relationship. If she hadn't simply been too stupid to realise this was probably intentional avoidance, Jess would have been irritated.. Instead, she simply thanked any supernatural power which had allowed her to have bigger brains than her perfect-housewife sister.

"Sorry, I think we got off topic," Chloe replied smoothly as her brain whirred to think of an answer. Josie took the pause as hesitance and she leaned closer to reply in a 'friendly' manner, "Is there a boy you like who likes you?"

"Err.. Not exactly," the ginger chuckled lightly as she tried to worm her way out without directly lying, "Things for us right now are.. much deeper than the surface implies."

"Has he stolen your heart?" Aunt Josie replied with a grin hungry for gossip on young love.

"Or have you stolen his?" Grandpa grumbled under his breath, to which everyone pretended not to hear.

"Oh I'd give my heart, quite willingly," Chloe responded, thankful that Beca was the other side of her and couldn't serve as a distraction. The brunette, trying to concentrate on sipping slowly at her tea felt her heart skip a beat at this confident remark. Both Jess & Sheila silently observed how (after each personal question) the smaller girl's knuckles would briefly go white around the mug's grip before resuming their original hue once Chloe had answered sufficiently.

"Are you two.. How do they say it..? For being intimate?" Great Aunt Grace leaned in to join the 'girly chat'.

"'Going steady' is the term, Mummy," Corrie called, rolling her eyes dramatically at her mother's lack of knowledge for modern day linguistics.

"Yes! Are you two 'going steady', Chloe?" Grace asked. At this point, the men at the table had regained interest - almost as if what this 'young ruffian' would say was then going to be applied as a generalisation to all teenagers' views on sex in relationships.

"Umm," the girl blushed a little, at a loss for words.

"Mum, don't you think that's a little inappropriate to be asking her? She's not ACTUALLY related to us, after all," Jess interjected as she saw the taken aback expressions on both Chloe & Beca's slightly flushed faces.

"True," Grace raised her hands as if in surrender, "I'm only asking because you never shared love life details as a teenager, and Corrie was a late bloomer. And Beca either isn't sharing or just isn't interested in learning within that area of her life yet. This may be my only chance to have a proper chat about these things!" At this, the men sighed and murmured that Benjamin was going to show them the latest editions to his collection of 1st edition comparative literature in the study. The gruff males scraped their chairs back, leaving with their steaming mugs and a couple of plates with chocolates & biscuits. In that instant, both Beca & Chloe wished they could grumble misogynistic comments about girly gossip and, too, escape the personal questions.

"In all honesty," the ginger sighed dejectedly and shrugged (behind her Beca tensed her whole body, which Sheila noticed and frowned at, slightly puzzled), "I'm an open book. I believe in freedom of speech & passive action, however also purity of love. Finding someone you truly cherish and who feels the same about you is what's important to me.. And what I'd ideally like to feel on Valentine's Day." A series of 'Aww's echoed around the table from Sheila, Josie, Grace, and Corrie. Grandma, alike to the majority of her time at the table, remained silent with her pursed lips clamped together in a grim line and eyes staring off, feigning to acknowledge an additional female teenager's presence. Jess raised an eyebrow, however smiled at the initiative in this intelligent girl to react on the spot and know what to say to throw her audience off. Beca simply gaped slightly, lost in the sound of her girlfriend's melodic voice.

"What's this great love's name?" Josie asked, devilish excitement glowing in her hungry eyes.

"Oh, I don't kiss and tell," Chloe grinned, to which all of the women (except Beca's stone-cold grandma) laughed. Their giggles combined with cackles, and then transitioned into chuckles as the noise resonated in the high-ceilinged room.

Within seconds of the conversation dying out naturally (and due to the Chloe's clever deflection techniques), Corrie had yet again taken the floor to spew unnecessary information about how amazing Trevor was as a boyfriend. In Beca's mind, the man sounded like an incompetent man-child with a lack of intelligence or ability to live without a woman spoon-feeding him with every responsibility already taken care of.

"That's a beautiful ring!" Sheila squealed as she noticed the sun bounce from a diamond squeezed onto Corrie's podgy left ring finger. She fanned her left hand out and admired it, pretending to be bashful as she said with fake apology in her eyes, "Oops! I meant to take it off.. I guess I just forget that it's even there. It's meant to be a surprise, but.. TREVOR PROPOSED!"

"SURPRISE!" Jess exclaimed, clear distaste lining the celebratory word.

"Oi!" Great Aunt Grace scowled at her younger daughter, "Be happy for your sister. She's engaged to a lovely man and-"

"And you let Trevor," the young woman spat the name, "Give her your grandmother's ring.. The one I asked for."

"So? I've known Trevor for years; he actually came to your father and I asking us if he could take Corrie out on their first date to the pub," Grace's voice was slightly louder than previously.

"Whoopdido! He took her to the pub.. For our first date, Alex and I actually saw culture in Paris, the capital of romance. Plus, we'd been dating long before Trevor got Corrie pregnant and decided to tie the knot.. Oh wait, second surprise, hurray!" Corrie and Grace gasped, a look of genuine apology replaced the snarky anger on Jess' face as she realised what she'd said, "Shit, sorry," she winced.

"Trevor and I wanted to get married before we even knew about the baby," Corrie frowned before loudly pushing back her chair and marching out of the room. Great Aunt Grace shook her head in disappointment and spoke in at a normal volume, "How good is this Alex for you when you're still jealous of your sister for being happy?" The woman didn't wait for a reply from the gaping daughter left at the table as she also stood and hobbled after the upset pregnant-bride-to-be. Grandma stood without a word and drifted from the room, and Sheila smiled sympathetically before clearing empty mugs from the table to take into the kitchen. Jess looked like she was about to burst into tears, Beca was frozen in shock, and Chloe had a grim look on her face. The ginger stood, helping her girlfriend to her feet before making her way around the table to comfort the shaking woman. Chloe brought Jess into a tight hug and whispered, "You're not jealous of Corrie's happiness. You've just missed out due to.. less traditional preferences and the same amount of support and love as she's had. Don't worry, you and Alex will be fine, whether those idiots stick by you or not." Appreciating the words, the woman sniffed a few times to recover and pulled back from the strawberry-scented girl before she could start to blubber. Cracking a weak smile Jess stammered, "Th- Thanks, Chloe. I'm going to go and err.. Freshen up, gather my thoughts, and also probably call Alex."

"Okay," the ginger smiled, "If you need anything we'll both be here to support you," and she gestured to the daydreaming brunette stood the other side of the table as well as herself. Nodding in appreciation, Jess took a deep breath and left the room as she started typing at high speed on her phone.

Chloe wandered back to Beca and brought the smaller girl into an embrace. Inhaling her girlfriend's scent and feeling her body's warmth was like a shot of adrenaline to the brunette, who immediately blinked back to reality.

"This is too many surprises for me in one day," Beca murmured up at the electric blue orbs staring down at her. Smiling, Chloe replied, "I agree. Also, we should find somewhere more private."

"Err.. Okay, but why?" the brunette frowned questioningly.

"So that I can kiss you, idiot," the taller girl responded as she displayed her dazzling smile, "Without making us yet another 'Surprise!'" and she mimicked the celebratory cheer quietly. Chuckling, Beca whispered, "I love you, weirdo," as she dragged the cute girl into the hallway and up the stairs.

"I love you, too," Chloe mouthed when the girl looked back at her halfway up the stairs. They'd passed the group of men drinking Scotch and bragging about cars in the study, as well as the three boys hurling insults at the TV screen in the living room. By the front door, Jess spoke in French quietly as she zipped her boots up and walked outside for privacy on her call. When they reached the upstairs landing, the girls could hear overly dramatic wailing from Corrie and the accompanying loud cooing from her mother to comfort her. Grandma and Josie stood awkwardly near the doorway, uttering the infrequent sentence in an attempt to support from a distance. Dismissing all of this, Beca pulled Chloe into her bedroom and slammed the ginger against the back of the door.

"So, you don't kiss and tell, eh?" the brunette smirked and breathed the line huskily.

"Brownie Guide promise," the taller girl grinned as she held up her middle three fingers on her right hand, as if to salute the code of Girl Guiding from when she was a child.

"Show me what badges that clever tongue of yours has earned," Beca replied as she leaned in and pressed her rosy lips against Chloe's. Their mouths moved together in symphony as their tongues twirled in harmony. It was heavenly; their passion both urgent and taking all the time in the world to reaffirm itself with the familiar territory it had missed so much, albeit for a few hours. The ginger clasped the smaller girl's ass and lifted her as she pushed into the kiss further. Beca moaned lightly and her hand gripped at Chloe's exposed biceps as they flexed.

 _Knock knock._

"Girls, Sheila said it's time to get ready for dinner," Dr Mitchell called through the door before traipsing to the room of women comforting Corrie to repeat the message.

"You were so right about me on our second date, Becs," the ginger spoke as she lustfully looked at the other girl's lips and body, "I don't want dinner.. I'd prefer to skip to dessert." With that, she lunged in for a second kiss - this time, due to the time constraint, more desperate than tender. Both girls licked their way fully around the crevices of the other's mouth before Beca, sighing reluctantly, pulled back.

"We err.. We should go," the brunette almost whined in protest to her own conscience's responsible mind, however overcame the inner conflict within a few seconds. Chloe nodded and wiped her thumb around her girlfriend's mouth to remove any straying lip gloss before doing the same to herself and smoothing her straightened hair down.

"You look really nice, by the way," Beca smiled just before they left the room.

"Thanks, and so do you, baby," Chloe grinned, "Though I prefer you like last night." She winked at the mesmerised smaller girl before walking through the door and prancing her way down the stairs, the brunette following (while reeling her tongue back into her gaping mouth) before entering the dining area once again.


	24. Centuries Alike

**A/N Hi everyone, sorry I've been travelling the past week non-stop :/ Thanks for all of your support and kind words though, it really goes appreciated. However, I hope you enjoy this and don't hate me too much for where I've left it! ;)**

* * *

 **Monday Lunch Time**

"So," the tanned boy grinned as he joined the queuing couple in the canteen, "How was your weekend of fun-loving?"

"It was actually pretty bearable - despite my ignorant relatives," Beca smiled back at Jesse before looking at the beautiful girl next to her.

"Ahh, and let me guess.. The night was full of promise and reward," the boy winked at Chloe and mockingly thrusted his cream chinos upwards in the air.

"Umm.. Not really an option when someone else is staying in the same room," the ginger smiled almost apologetically at her ending the banter.

"Wait, you guys saw me? Damn.. Benji told me the cloak was invisible," Jesse muttered, pretending to be ashamed.

"Actually, you were safe in the shadows," Beca spoke softly, "It was Jess (my dad's cousin) whom we didn't want to disturb."

"Ahh, gotcha," the boy grinned and clicked his tongue as he winked at the smaller girl, "You two don't like working with a crowd, eh?" His teasing lit a spark in the ginger's gleaming eyes and she raised her eyebrows challengingly. Under her breath, Chloe breathed a quiet response, "I don't know about that," before leaning down towards Beca. Frozen, the brunette's eyes widened and her rosy lips parted to speak - however her throat dried. Within an instant, the two girls were moulding their mouths together rhythmically as Jesse gawked at his friends in awe. The taller girl's slender fingers gripped the brunette's hips and pulled her in closer, allowing Beca's forearms to drape over the ginger's muscular neckline. Her hands sliding among the other girl's thick roots, the smaller girl gripped harder as their lips collided. A minute or so later, the couple reluctantly separated, turning to their friend. Jesse, wide-eyed and with his tongue practically touching the floor, blinked silently. The girls giggled before remembering their surroundings and, worriedly, glanced around. However, the eyes which had been glued to the couple's performance had effortlessly averted their gaze elsewhere in time to not be caught. Despite this, the image they'd witnessed only moments previously still burned on their brain as it ticked to make conclusions. A small smile emerged at the edge of their lips and their bright eyes narrowed.

"Touché," the tanned boy eventually spoke once he'd recovered. Grinning, the trio advanced in the line of students towards the array of food awaiting them.

* * *

 **Last Lesson (English)**

"Okay, listen up everyone," Miss Lavender chimed as her students turned their attention toward the small woman. The blonde smiled widely, "We're going to be doing something slightly different today. You won't need your books," there was a loud clattering as teenagers swept the objects from their desks into their bags, "Just your enthusiasm and willingness to participate!" A groan and series of eye-rolling erupted from certain less eager pupils, however the adult ignored this as she concentrated on loading the computer up.

"What d'you think we're doing?" Chloe asked the girl next to her, a child-like glint of excitement shone in her bright orbs.

"Umm.. Trying to be normal teenagers," the brunette frowned to herself and spoke quietly, "Which is kind of an oxymoron because teenagers AREN'T normal. Not stereotypical or idyllic ones at least.." Beca's voice died off as she realised she'd been thinking aloud and the girl blushed. Glancing at the taller girl's wide smile however, she felt her panicked crimson haze immediately dissipate. Beca took a second to observe the beauty before her, and (as always) how the crinkles appeared either side of the bright blue eyes when her girlfriend's genuine smile stretched.

"You know," Chloe spoke through her grin, "MY girlfriend is so clever, and she doesn't even realise.. It's SO hot." The ginger winked at the smaller girl, a light blush (and grin) emerging on Beca's face. Opening her mouth to reply, the brunette lost her opportunity when the projector whirred on and Miss Lavender's voice interrupted. The presentation on the board had the title of 'Writers Through The Ages', and Beca noted how the PowerPoint appeared to lack any design (as if it had been created last-minute). The girl mused at this uncharacteristic choice of her teacher as the woman started speaking.

"Today, the world is very different to how it was a few centuries ago, I think we can all agree on that," the blonde chuckled lightly, "Writers (and people) these days however aren't too dissimilar to their predecessors. What separates them? Acceptance!" There was a large silence oozing from the crowd of blank expressions facing the teacher, "Centuries ago, writers (and others) who were discovered for not abiding by society's traditional expectations would have been shunned.. Punished.. Ridiculed. Whereas today it seems that being different from the ordinary benefits some in getting their works noticed! This is on the surface, I want us to look at whether it really is differing today or not," Miss Lavender started to walk between the rows of students, passing out pieces of paper which were still warm from the printer.

"I'm giving out an array of texts and with your partner," the blonde's eyes narrowed slightly as she said this and glanced towards Beca and Chloe, "I'd like you to try and summarise in a few words what each writer was/is distinguished for as being different as a person or in their works. Then, I'd like you to put a tick if they were accepted by society for it and a cross if not. You may use your phones to research; however you SHOULD be able to do an amount without any additional assistance."

"Why are we doing this?" one of Tom's friends muttered loudly and received a series of giggles. Looking sternly at the boy, Miss Lavender replied, "You're doing this because, despite people's claim to the world being all-good these days, it pains me to say that some minorities remain feeling fearful or ashamed at the thought of displaying who they are in public." The woman once again glanced over to the back right-hand corner of the room towards the two girls before continuing with her task at hand.

"Well, this is gay," the boy spoke in a quieter voice to the girl next to him and she, once again, giggled. Hearing this, Miss Lavender decided to ignore it while she grimly acknowledged how what she'd said was proven in that one comment. A loud buzz of chatter (mostly irrelevant to the classwork) broke out once the teacher had resumed her position at the desk. Surveying the texts with a slight crease in her forehead, Beca started to scrawl annotations in her small, messy writing around the extracts. Wrapped up in her own thoughts, the brunette didn't notice the taller girl edging her chair closer.

"Hey, sexy," the ginger's strawberry scent and minty breath travelled the few inches between the two girls' bodies and Beca froze at the seductive sound of the silky whisper by her ear. Long fingers tickled their way across her thigh, poking the exposed skin in the rips of her black skinny jeans. A suppressed breath escaped the brunette's lips in the form of a gasp as Chloe's teasing fingertips swiftly stroked against her core before retracting fully.

"So, the first one is by Oscar Wilde," the ginger spoke sweetly as her eyes scanned the portion of the page, "And we all know what his 'acts of indecency' were."

"Err.. Y- yeah," Beca replied, shaking her head to escape from the daze as much as she could, "H- He was arrested for his affair with a lord, right?"

"Too damn right, or wrong - in my opinion," Chloe replied, smiling. The ginger wrote their answer and a bold cross next to the extract from 'The Importance Of Being Earnest'.

"The next is.. an extract from a BBC radio broadcast with Virginia Woolf," Chloe read, frowning at the transcript for clues on the novelist.

"She was a feminist.. In a way," the brunette spoke from her prior knowledge and the other girl looked at her with admiration before writing on the page. Chloe paused and asked, "Was she accepted for having feminist views?"

"Uhh, I don't know," Beca shrugged, "Maybe? She published her works and didn't go to prison for her views. I mean, she also introduced some lesbian stuff in her writing.. Subtly," the brunette smiled inwardly, "Actually, one famous line from an essay of hers is 'Chloe liked Olivia'.. Which was deduced to mean romantically-"

"She got it wrong," the taller girl grinned, "It should be that Chloe liked (and likes) Beca." The brunette blushed and rolled her eyes in an attempt to mockingly criticise the other girl's joke.

"Anyway," the smaller girl proceeded with fake irritation in her tone at the interruption, "Woolf was thought to insert lesbian themes into her works. What's the next text?"

"Some writing by.. Bentham?" Chloe quizzed and was pleased to see a knowing look on her girlfriend's face.

"Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher, some of his stuff is actually really interesting," the brunette noticed the taller girl raise an eyebrow at her dorky enthusiasm and grinned, "But some of his views were controversial to many. Like, he thought sex was 'the greatest' pleasure. He also didn't disagree with sodomy or homosexuality."

"Do you agree on his thoughts about sex?" the ginger asked with genuine interest, however a playful tone underlying the question.

"I disagree," Beca replied and Chloe's face fell slightly, "I think that love is the greatest." Blushing lightly, the ginger lifted her bright gaze to the other girl's intense orbs, "Why are you so amazing?" The brunette snorted, "I think you mean to ask why I'm so cheesy."

"Nope," the taller girl shook her head in defiance, "Cheesy implies that what you say falls short. Whereas, amazing manages to display the fact that what you say is making me want to kiss you every second of every day." Smirking, Beca leaned in closer and whispered, "What you're describing makes me think I have you under some kind of spell."

"The spell of lurrrveeee," a voice interjects and both girls jump. The couple had been entranced in one another's gaze and hadn't noticed their friend turn to lean into their quiet conversation. Stacie giggled and pretended to be sick at the couple's clear affection before continuing, "You know, your sexual tension is really started to strangle everyone in this room." The two girls remained silent, still surprised at the unexpected interruption. After grinning at the dazed expressions, Stacie parted her lips to speak again however was unable to when a loud voice cut across.

"Time to discuss, everyone!" Miss Lavender said and her students looked to the front of the room diligently, "Raise your hand if you had Alan Turing as one of your texts." Half of the class (including Stacie) raised their limbs into the dead, stuffy air. Scanning the students, the blonde woman spoke with her eyes narrowed quizzically, "Stacie, what can you tell us about Mr Turing?"

"Umm, he wrote science papers," the tall brunette straightened her spine and flicked her hair, "And was prosecuted for having homosexual relationships." Nodding, Miss Lavender smiled, "Correct, and you've already answered my next question as to whether he was accepted for what made him different.. Turing was an intelligent and incredible man; however his preference toward the same sex resulted in a form of chemical castration and a horrid death." The woman turned to the keyboard at her desk and flicked to the slide on the historical figure. Next she looked across to another student, "Tom, who else did you and Stacie have?"

"Err.. We had Voltaire," the rugby player stammered as he looked at their notes, "He wrote about not being religious and.. and stuff. At the time society didn't accept him fully, right?" Tom's dark eyes returned to the teacher in search of reassurance and affirmation. Smiling, Miss Lavender replied, "That's right, he wrote controversial topics for his time," she then turned her attention to a girl at the front of the class and asked for the third text.

"Vladimir Nabokov. He wrote the controversial novel 'Lolita'. This brought him fame, however the highly.. inappropriate themes in his writing were disapproved of," the girl chirped and spoke with fast enthusiasm.

"Very good, Lisa," the blonde congratulated as she switched the PowerPoint to a slide with all three discussed historical figures displayed, "Raise your hand now if you had the other texts." Reluctantly, the remaining students lifted their arms and curled their fingers into their palms (as if this would make them less noticeable and therefore unlikely to be picked on).

"Barb," Miss Lavender's voice travelled to the brunette who groaned slightly, "What did you find out about Bentham?"

"Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher who didn't shy away from approving of sex," the girl's voice droned, "Including between people of the same sex. He also argued against animal experimentation."

"Thank you," the woman nodded and, with a click on the keyboard, Bentham's description added itself to the slide, "Chloe, who else did you have?"

"Virgina Woolf," the ginger grinned a wide smile and her melodic voice plucked at Beca's heartstrings gently as she spoke, "She may be considered now to be a major supporter of feminism, and she also wrote certain.. controversial underlying tones."

"Such as..?" Miss Lavender pressed, smiling kindly.

"Umm.." a small blush started to emerge across the girl's cheeks as classmates' eyes travelled to focus on the ginger, "Weren't they kind of, like, lesbian themes?" A mutter from one of Tom's friends caused a few classmates to snicker and Beca heard the comment being whispered, "I bet that's her type of porn.. and the nerdy one's." Angry, the brunette frowned however bit her tongue to keep from causing a disruption. Surprisingly to the smaller girl, she noticed Tom (who'd also heard the comment) turn and glare, hushing the group immediately with his steely gaze.

"Yes, though I'm not sure themes is the word to describe it," the blonde woman spoke as if it was only her and Chloe having the conversation privately, which comforted the girl slightly, "And Beca, would you be able to tell us about the final writer?"

"Oscar Wilde," the brunette spoke almost robotically, her eyes glancing daringly at her classmates to speak up, "Pretty simple really, he had an affair.. with a man, and was imprisoned for it."

"Nice and concise, thank you," Miss Lavender responded as she then turned to the next slide of the PowerPoint, "So, what are people's views nowadays on matters such as sex, feminism and sexuality?" The students remained silent for a second before murmuring to the person next to them. Smiling at the timid class, the woman spoke again, "I'd like you to speak up and be honest; you won't be ridiculed for your opinion so long as it's yours and you can back it up. Society didn't approve of these controversial matters when the previously discussed people were publishing their works; however what do you think society's opinion is now?"

"I don't think it matters anymore to anyone really," Lisa spoke up in the low buzz of discomfort, "Especially with being non-religious or a feminist. Probably with the other things, too."

"Okay," the blonde nodded slowly and pondered for a second, "So how many people here feel they don't ever hear rumours about who's in a relationship with whom? Moreover, do you all think that you've NEVER participated in gossiping?" There was silence and an array of students, ashamed, looked down. Miss Lavender smiled, "It's okay to admit it, you won't be the only ones! The act of gossiping is a part of being in society. Spreading recent news on what's controversial yet occurring is a natural part of everyday life. The question is, are the controversial matters spread now the same as they were for these people," she gestured to the board with the pictures of the historical figures, "Do you still gossip about relationships/sex, sexuality and feminism?"

"I don't think feminism is really a scandal anymore," Tom said with a proud smile. Miss Lavender replied to this, "So, that's one improvement. However, you're telling me that you still actively ridicule peers for their sexuality?" The rugby player faltered, torn between his true opinion and his reputation at stake, "Err.. I mean, I think that you can be fine with it but that pressure.. from society can make you appear less accepting in public."

"I think you might be right there, Tom," the woman agreed grimly, "And here are some facts for anyone who seems to accept people for their sexuality inwardly, though still publically ridicules them." Miss Lavender flicked to the following slide and watched the students gawk in horror at the single fact in bold writing presented on the screen. Beca's mind buzzed with dismay as she re-read the fact: _The rate of suicide attempts is 4 times greater for LGBT compared to heterosexual youth._ The brunette's heart started to beat faster and her chest tightened as she felt beads of sweat rise on her trembling palms. A slender hand slipped under the table and Chloe rested her long fingers comfortingly atop one of Beca's shaking hands, squeezing gently. In silence, the blonde woman clicked and a second fact appeared: _Each act of LGBT victimisation (physical/verbal harassment or abuse) increases the likelihood of self-harming behaviour by 2.5 times on average._ The ginger's eyes widened and she froze upon reading the text, though quickly calmed herself and adorned a sympathetic smile to offer comfort to her girlfriend.

Beca felt warmth spread through her tensed body every time Chloe squeezed her fingers, and her strangled breathing became easier as she stared into the bright blue orbs - as if they were offering energy to recharge her worn and shattering composure. Their teacher's stern voice cut through the interaction, "So, I don't know about you, but seeing as the majority of our society appears to go along with ridiculing unnecessarily I think I'm going to make an additional effort to WELCOME anyone who's 'different'." A murmur of agreement was uttered from several students as the bell for the end of school rang.

* * *

As they were walking towards the door, the couple found Miss Lavender next to them, saying, "I'm sorry for the odd change in today's lesson, girls." Smiling, Chloe replied as the three females walked out of the otherwise empty classroom, "It's okay, I enjoyed it!" Beca nodded in agreement as her girlfriend spoke, "Well, you two were actually my inspiration." Frowning, the brunette queried, "How so?"

"Seeing you both.. being intimate in the canteen earlier allowed me to connect some dots with why the class have given you hassle previously," Miss Lavender narrowed her sparkling eyes as her mind buzzed, "And it made me think that, if two self-accepting and 'out' girls aren't allowed to show their affection in public without looking embarrassed afterwards, society (and this school) needs a change of perspective." Beca snorted and chuckled darkly, "Too true." They'd reached the stairs and the teacher was turning to go into a neighbouring classroom. Hurrying to speak before she'd gone, Chloe chimed, "Thank you.. It means a lot." The small woman smiled before disappearing and the couple proceeded down the stairs.

As they walked, the girls' fingers stroked and lightly intertwined with one another's and they smiled. Beca felt content with their situation as she absorbed the support from both her teacher and, strangely in her eyes, Tom in the lesson. Whereas, Chloe's mind wasn't resting quite so happily; something Miss Lavender had said to them was pressing on her thoughts. Their teacher had described the two girls as being "self-accepting and 'out'", which to the ginger meant that they were no longer hidden. Chloe's memories travelled back to her conversation with Jess at the weekend when the woman had said that their secret status being public among classmates was fine - because teenagers don't involve adults. _But what happens when an adult involves themselves?_ The ginger pondered on the question and lines of worry streaked across her forehead, _This adult knows.. and she thinks the girls are fully 'out' in public.. and it's parents evening soon.. Shit._

"You okay?" Beca queried, crushing the taller girl's building anxieties in an instant with her intense look of concern.

"Just thinking," Chloe smiled weakly, "You could say philosophers have inspired me!" Snorting, the brunette replied, "I hope not.. A lot of them were seriously fucked up.. and had major sexual issues (like Freud)."

Smirking (and back to her original self), the other girl responded, "Baby, I don't think I have any issues in that department." Quirking a brow as if to object, Beca parted her lips and found herself at a loss for words other than, "Touché, Beale."


	25. Changing

**A/N Sorry for such a late update; the summer season appears to call for holidaying in areas where it turns out there's no internet! Without any further delay however, enjoy the chapter :)**

* * *

 **Tuesday (After School)**

The heavy door thudded shut behind the small brunette as she slowly entered the quiet changing room. A cold breeze hit Beca's lungs and she wheezed a little before adjusting herself to the harsh layers of damp and dust settled in the atmosphere. With caution, the teenager walked from the school corridor's entrance around a tall block of red and grey lockers, deciding to drop her bags on an empty bench space opposite one side. On the other side of the locker-tower were a set of ugly, faded white-tiled shower cubicles with ragged cloth representing curtains strewn across.

Sighing to herself (and the silent room), the girl set about extracting items of sportswear from a black and white rucksack she'd set down next to her schoolbag. _Why did she agree to participate in an extracurricular?_ Beca grumbled internally. _And why did she choose SELF DEFENCE?!_

 _Ping_

A message illuminated Beca's screen and she frowned at her girlfriend's words as she finished swept her hair into a ponytail:

 _Chloe: Guess who ;)_

As Beca's brow creased at the screen in confusion, she felt a pair of sleek hands slip around to lightly cover her eyes from behind. Within a second, the brunette's breathing was shallow and her heart skipped a beat as the unexpected arrival's body shuffled closer. Chloe's warm breath tickled the hairs on the nape of the smaller girl's neck, "Did you guess?" The melodic tune of the ginger's words shot through the cold air between the two girls and Beca found the energy (and awareness) to spin around. The taller girl's hands rested across the brunette's shoulders and her fingers eagerly nestled into the ponytail's loosening locks. Without replying, the smirking smaller girl leaned forward, lips parted, and closed the distance between the two. Lacking hesitation, Chloe's tongue licked hungrily against her girlfriend's rosy lips before gaining full entry. Meanwhile, Beca's hands drifted down the soft grey fabric of the ginger's baggy hoodie before slipping under the hem and up the girl's sides. Her fingers slid smoothly across a swimming costume's nylon fabric which tightly clung to the taller girl's sleek frame. Pulling back briefly from the kiss, the brunette smirked, "How am I meant to undress this gift without damaging the packaging?"

"Actually," Chloe smiled however her bright eyes dimmed a little, "You aren't meant to.. Not right now, anyway. I need to stay focused on the swimming competition."

"And sneaking up on me is maintaining your focus?" the smaller girl chuckled softly.

"Fair point," the ginger took a reluctant step back and her girlfriend released a quiet whimper of objection, "This was just a treat to keep me going." Chloe leaned in to give Beca a brief peck before spinning and marching diligently to the door she'd stealthily entered through. However, she paused before fully disappearing and turned her head slightly to the side. The taller girl's confident words echoed along the space outstretched between the two teenagers and resonated in Beca's mind long after her girlfriend had left, "You know, the shower stalls at the swimming pool are pretty private.. I'll see you after the competition."

Shaking her head in awe, Beca smirked inwardly as she quickly changed into her sportswear in order to make up for lost time. Shoving her bag into an empty locker and readjusting her messy ponytail, the brunette hurried out of the changing room and towards the gym for her class.

* * *

 **5 Minutes Later**

"Right, listen up everyone!" a tanned, bald man called in a deep voice as he entered the gym. He removed a grey suit jacket from over his black tank top, which matched his grey joggers, and tossed it aside onto a bench at the side of the gym. Behind him a skinnier tanned man with thick black glasses and frizzy black curls stumbled, balancing sports bags on his bony arms like branches, struggled to follow. The crowd of people attending the class set aside their drinks bottles and phones by their bags of other belongings at the edge of the large gym and walked to join the instructor in the empty space. Impatient, the bulkier man spoke in his gruff voice over his muscular shoulder, "Dax, give out the equipment and spread everyone out as we planned".

Fumbling slightly, the skinny man (Dax) uttered a reply before rushing to space each of the attendees approximately 2 feet apart. By each person, Dax placed a rolled-up yoga mat and either a pair of boxing or sparring gloves which reeked with sweat. By the time Dax had clumsily reached Beca (who was timidly stood at the back of the group in her black sports trousers and top with a dark purple trim) she'd calculated and spaced herself accordingly from the Hispanic girl to her right. He smiled thankfully at her before dropping a pair of BO-ridden sparring hand pads at her feet next to a tightly-rolled green mat. At the front of the crowd, the gruff instructor was introducing himself and explaining the format of the classes. He then droned on about safety regulations (for those who didn't attend the school and know its layout inside out), his own experiences and how self-defence skills could save a life, etc. Bored, Beca busied herself with watching the sun sinking behind the surrounding hills of the school behind the gym and sports field.

"Sorry I'm late! There was an issue with a cheesecake, in that I had to eat it," an Australian voice cut into the droning introduction and Beca tried not to smile as the class turned their attention from the frowning man to the jolly blonde marching purposefully toward them. Fat Amy wore black leggings with a pink-white tie-dyed top and matching headband poking out from under her fringe. Clicking his tongue with irritation, the instructor glared at the Australian before going back to his speech. Once Fat Amy had joined the group for a minute or so, the man stopped what he was saying to shoot over his shoulder, "Dax, aren't you forgetting something?" The assistant (who'd been on his phone) glanced up with a slightly dazed expression, "Huh?"

"The mat and equipment!" the larger man hissed, muttering afterwards, "I swear if he wasn't my nephew.." Once Dax had obeyed the order, the instructor cleared his throat and proceeded, "I need a volunteer."

"Ooh, pick me, Hunky Hippo!" Fat Amy called out eagerly as her flabby arms shot above her head. Beca snorted at this and took a second to compose herself before glancing up to see the man's reaction. With a blank expression, the instructor bellowed, "How about you there, at the back?!" All eyes turned and for a second the small brunette thought he'd picked on her for finding the Australian amusing, but was relieved when the Hispanic to the right started to prance forward. The girl was petite and toned in her shape, with thick black hair tied into a long ponytail. She batted her dark eyelashes with unwitting seduction as the instructor asked her name and replied in a thick accent, "My name is Flo." Greeting the girl curtly, the instructor then asked Flo to get into what she thought a defensive stance was, before correcting her slightly and explaining to the class the best position for offence and defence. Once he'd demonstrated with the limber volunteer a simple starter task requiring a palm block from a straight punch followed by a twisted block from a stereotypical lunge grab, the instructor ordered for everyone to split into pairs with someone who had the opposite kinds of gloves to them; in order to make later exercises easier to organise.

Beca stood awkwardly at the side as she waited for the other half in her pair to emerge from the group. Much to her surprise, the remaining person without a partner was a smirking blond teenager. He was built broad and his muscles rippled under his tight-fitting top as he extended a hand to shake Beca's. His English accent was overpoweringly posh and rich with sarcasm as he maintained a cocky smirk, "Hi, I'm Luke. The pleasure's all yours." The brunette did her best to squeeze the boy's hand hard and he appeared a little taken aback at her strength, grinning at her frowning expression. Waiting a second, Luke asked patronisingly, "And you are..?"

"Beca," the brunette replied as she pulled her slim hand from the tight grip and took her position of defence. As they started to spar, the blond spoke up, breaking Beca's concentration and irritating her a little. With a lopsided smile he said, "So, I don't believe I've seen you at the club?"

"Club?"

"The boxing club, where this joke," he nodded his head at the instructor practicing with Flo, "works.. And also where us big boys show him who's really boss."

"And who would that be? The one with the biggest bank account? Or dick?" Beca snapped back, trying to silence the cocky boy as she concentrated on blocking his rough (and exceedingly strong) offence moves. Luke chuckled and shook his head a little, "Whoa, calm it! I'm just being friendly."

"Sorry," Beca sighed, "I'm a little-"

"Frustrated?" Luke winked and laughed when the brunette, saying nothing, glanced down and unwittingly blushed, "So, Becky, right?"

"Beca, actua-"

"Whatever," the blond dismissed and continued, "The club can really help with relieving tensions." Annoyed at the boy's brash lack of manners, Beca narrowed her eyes, "Is that what lonely idiots like you do there? Substitute it for wanking alone in your room 24/7?"

"Yet again, easy tiger, or I'll catch you out," Luke winked and, in an instant had slipped past Beca's anticipating block, succeeding in the offence as he grasped her top. About to retort, the brunette found a lack of opportunity as the instructor called out, "Okay, now everyone on defence put on the pads you were given and practice the first punching routine with these blocking devices. I'll call for all of you to swap over in a few minutes with roles."

"Ooh, roleplay!" Luke rolled his eyes and grinned, "What's your opinion on roleplay, Becky?" Blushing at the flooding thoughts of a certain ginger entertaining her through acting talent, the brunette tried to push out her thoughts. She gritted her teeth, "It's Beca."

"Right, so take that anger you're feeling towards me and use it now in power to block this," the blond threw a particularly hard punch at Beca's face. Huffing and frowning with concentration, the small girl diligently obeyed the advice and, sure enough, slammed his arm away.

"There you go!" he coaxed condescendingly, "However you're wasting energy by flinging my hand so far from your face, just hit it enough to be no more than 45 degrees off. That saves you from the punch and leaves you the time and power to prevent this next punch."

"What next pun-"

 _CRASH_

Alarmed at the unexpected second fist charging through the air, Beca's mind found itself too distracted replying to Luke's words to raise her hand and block. The boy's rough skin on his wide knuckle collided with the small girl's pale cheekbone with a heavy smack. Caught off-guard, Beca's planted feet raised and stumbled clumsily, her ankles loosening as she bent her legs back. Falling, the girl felt her eyes close shut in anticipation for the smack of the hard floor, holding her gloved hands up to break her fall. The stench of the gloves made her grimace in the few seconds between the punch and her fall to the ground. Before she could smash her skull onto the ground however, a strong set of fingers gripped against her bony right arm and pulled her body from gravity's hold. Luke's firm grip squeezed hard against Beca's thin skin, giving a Chinese burn as his clasp slipped from her forearm to her wrist. A searing shock of pain shot through the girl's arm as she felt a small _clunk._ A gasp of pain escaped through the brunette's lips as she felt her right hand being pulled from the wrist's socket and opened her lips wider to allow her ragged breaths to escape. Instead though, a small scream found itself escaping from the back of the brunette's throat. The chattering surrounding the pair came to an immediate halt and the thudding footsteps of the bulky instructor jogging over echoed in Beca's eardrums as her darkened vision blurred. Luke had stood her shaking frame up and she swayed on the spot unsteadily as the fire in her right arm burned with intensity.

"Luke, I didn't let you come to this to throw your weight around!" The deep voice of the instructor cut harshly through Beca's pain. The man, with the setting sun bouncing from his bald head, turned his attention to the brunette and spoke in a kinder yet still gruff tone, "Where does it hurt?"

"M- My wrist," Beca winced and spluttered broken gasps for air as the instructor gently lifted her right wrist and called for Dax to bring the first aid. As his assistant opened the box and spilled the contents over Beca's designated yoga mat, the instructor ordered the class to proceed with their work, dismissing Luke to get some water. Dax, pushing his oversized glasses up his bony nose, handed the instructor a gel cream and a bandage before waiting with a safety pin. The instructor swiftly applied the cooling cream to the brunette's wrist joint, carefully massaging the bones into realignment. He then wrapped the wrist into the correct position securely with the bandage before finally clicking his fingers for the safety pin and securing the dressing to Beca's forearm-hand area. Luke returned with the water as the instructor was seating Beca on a bench at the side next to everyone's bags. The instructor took the cup from the blond with a steely glare before turning to offer it to the girl. He then sighed and spoke, "Look, Reggie, is it?"

"Umm," Beca replied between sips of cool liquid, "Beca, actually. But I.. I get that a lot," she bluffed to the deadpan man making her feel on edge.

"Okay, well, Regg- Rebecc- Beca? I'm sorry this has happened, as stated in the disclaimer you signed before attending the class, we will offer compensation cost for this class alone. I suggest you take a minute to sip this and then just sit: get some rest."

"Thanks," Beca forced a weak smile and focused on balancing her cup in her left hand, which was ungloved at this point despite her inability to recall this happening. Dax sat with her as the instructor jogged back to reinstruct the class with Luke skulking behind like a scolded dog. Amused, the brunette girl saw the concentration on the boy next to her's face as he tried to complete the puzzle game on his screen. His tongue poked slightly from his pursed lips and his thick glasses edged down his nose.

* * *

 **30 Minutes Later**

"How was it?" Dr Mitchell smiled at his daughter as she slid into the car and shut the passenger door. Scanning the girl, Beca's dad noticed the bandage emerging from her jumper sleeve and frowned, "What happened? Do you need me to complain to the company?"

"No, Dad," Beca sighed as she surveyed the man's frown lines, "I'm fine, my wrist just briefly dislocated because I was falling and a guy tried to help."

"You were falling? I thought this wasn't a contact martial art. And what's that bruise on your face?" Dr Mitchell wasn't calming down, his face reddening to display this.

"Oh," Beca instinctively lifted her left hand to brush her cheek and winced at the bruised skin from Luke's punch, "That was an accident, my fault for doing the task wrong. Honestly, it's fine."

"Are you sure? It looks quite severe from the colouring," the doctor reached over to probe lightly at his daughter's bruise and observed her wincing, "I think it might be better for you to rest tonight."

"But it's Chloe's competition!" Beca objected, too worried at her father's power to prevent her plans to hold back on her indignant tone.

"She'll understand. You need to treat both of these wounds before they swell."

"So, I'll put an icepack on before bed," Beca looked into Dr Mitchell's dark eyes, "Dad, she's counting on me being there to support her.. I.. I can't let her down," the brunette took a deep breath and broke their eye contact, "I've never had a.. friend like this and.. I don't want to blow it." Sighing, Benjamin acknowledged this point, "And there's no way you can contact and explain why you shouldn't appear?" Grinning slightly at her father's defeated tone, the brunette replied, "No; they'll be swimming right now to warm up." Taking a deep breath, Dr Mitchell sighed again before turning the engine of the car on and replying, "Should I drop you straight there then? And what time should I pick you up?"

"Umm.. Actually Chloe offered to give me a lift back, is that okay? And yes please for going straight there; I'd like a good seat."

"Hmm.. I suppose that's alright, offer petrol money to whoever's driving you back. However, are you alright to wait while she's changing after the competition?"

"Yeah, I won't be bored waiting," Beca grinned to herself hungrily and indulged in her own thoughts a little too easily.

"Why's that?" Benjamin asked, genuine curiosity in his tone at his daughter's assured answer and unidentifiable expression.

"Umm.." the small girl blushed as she scrambled for an excuse, "I have some homework.. On my phone.. It's not due for a while, but an early start doesn't hurt anyone, eh?" The girl's nervous reply warmed the doctor's heart a little as he misinterpreted her embarrassment, "Well, I'm proud of you for being so organised, Beca."

"Thanks, Dad," the girl smiled, relieved, "And thanks for the lift there."

"That's okay. I'll put a couple of icepacks in the freezer ready for you to apply when you're back."

* * *

 **1 Hour Later**

Fire and water blended together as the sleek figure in a navy and turquoise swimsuit zipped through the water at immense speed. To Beca, the cheering of the crowd echoing around the indoor pool's walls was a distant noise. To this small brunette stood in the front row, the remaining lanes of swimmers were competing in a different race. To the smitten teen, Chloe was the only figure worth focusing on, and her body's beautiful movements gliding through the light water were as elegant as a professional ballet dancer.

The ginger curved her spine as she turned at the end of the lane and her slender arms rippled through the water. Her biceps flexed and dragged her sleek frame along in an effortless manner. It was magnificent. It was astonishing. It was breath-taking. Chloe's movements were perfectly executed, and her body expert in its tasks. However, the most mesmerising of it all: her hair. The teenager had braided her ginger locks tightly to her scalp and the fiery streaks shone their rays through the blue. Perfect complimentary colours danced together.

Once again, it was the catching of the eye. Once again, Beca was unable to focus on anything but the image of this girl mixing elements into a complex beauty beyond the eye's imagination. Once again Beca was falling further down the rabbit hole, and flying closer to the sun than ever before.

* * *

 **2 Hours Later**

Most of the spectators had left through the main entrance and were gathered in the car park, waiting for the final swimmers to finish showering. Beca cautiously entered the large changing rooms for the female competitors, her eyes darting around for what - or, more correctly, whom - she sought. An idea in her mind and a glint in her intense eyes, Beca walked slowly and purposefully as she spoke a single word with a grin, "Marco". No answer. The brunette took a few more steps and rounded a corner before repeating herself a little louder, "Marco". Finally, the small girl rounded the final corner and found herself yet again in seeming emptiness, "Marco?" A little less self-assured, the teenager turned to leave when she heard nothing at first. Then, a word sang through the air in a melodic harmony.

"Polo!"

Beca's small ears perked up and she took a breath before repeating herself, "Marco".

"Polo, baby!" the voice called back sexily before the sound of a shower starting up surged through the air. Smirking, the lustful brunette strode into the clouds of steam covering the corner she'd previously walked past. However, when she peered into the shower cubicle there wasn't a ginger to be seen. Frowning, Beca turned back and found herself colliding chest-to-chest with a naked girl. The brunette squealed in surprise and jumped backwards, leaving a gap between herself and the unclothed teenager giggling in front of her.

With her hands on her protruding hips, the ginger cooed, "Aw c'mon, Becs. Isn't it time to reward me for my victories?!" Frowning mockingly, Beca responded as she slowly started to slip her feet out from her converse pumps, "I thought you got a medal for that?" The brunette lifted one foot at a time and removed her socks with her left hand. She then started to unbutton her jeans as Chloe hungrily licked her lips and tried to answer, "Y- Yeah, but.. But I won them for you.." There was a lack of jokiness in the comment and Beca brought her gaze up to match the bright orbs of her girlfriend before replying quietly, "You made me very proud to be your girlfriend, Chlo". With this, she finished unfastening her jeans and slipped them down her slender legs. Leaving her lacy underwear to tease the ginger, Beca then nimbly pulled herself from her loose jumper, revealing only a bra and her right arm's bandage below. Noticing the wound, Chloe frowned, "Oh my God, what happened?" Shrugging, the brunette replied, "It's fine, just don't count on my self-defence skills", and smirked. Taking a step closer, the taller girl smiled, "Well, you're still my hero. How about I help you with these?" Chloe's slender fingers reached behind Beca to unclasp her bra and carefully slide the straps down both pale arms, avoiding the bandage. She then tickled her fingertips across the brunette's hips before tucking them under the girl's underwear and allowing it to drop to the floor above the previously discarded jeans.

Winking, Chloe spoke enthusiastically, "Shower time!" before hesitating and regaining sincerity, "Do you need the bandage to stay dry.. Or should it keep your hand in place?"

"Umm.. I don't know.. Warm water is likely to loosen the joint and I need it to heal in the correct position so I guess keep it on?" Beca frowned and stared off as she put knowledge into application. She blinked back to see electric blue eyes admiring her and Chloe breathing, "I seriously love you so much, Becs". Chuckling, the brunette replied, "I love you too, weirdo".

* * *

"Here's your reward: You shower, I clean," Beca grinned as the ginger backed under the warm trickle from the spraying shower. Nodding, Chloe closed her bright eyes and tilted her head back as her hands stretched upwards to splash water onto her face. The droplets of warm liquid poured through the taller girl's ginger waves which had been removed from their tight braids and over her partially parted lips. Chlorine previously embedded in the crinkles around her eyes was dislodged by the shower's stream and slid in slim streaks down her toned, bare body. Water covered the girl's entire body, pooling at her feet and in the crevices of her defined abs. Beca admired the way the droplets streaked over her girlfriend's shaven region and slipped past her folds to her thighs.

Unable to resist any longer, the brunette knelt down and slowly shuffled forward, making sure Chloe's eyes were still shut before making her move. Without hesitation, Beca's tongue edged forward and licked up one of the ginger's inner thighs before paving a way across the damp skin to the girl's hips. At the ginger's hips, the smaller girl brought her hands to grip Chloe's muscular ass and pull her in closer as her pelvis bucked uncontrollably. The taller girl gasped appreciatively as her girlfriend started to suck and bite at the sensitive region, working her way steadily back down towards her moistening labia. In minutes, a large groan had escaped from the ginger's dry throat as Beca's tongue hungrily began to devour the seepage from her slick folds. Using her left hand on Chloe's behind to push herself into the girl's warm core even further, Beca brought her bandaged hand back to start tracing up the other girl's writhing body. There, her nimble fingers located and massaged the ginger's right breast. Its perky stature shuddered in excitement as the brunette squeezed with loving intensity and simultaneously pulled at the hardening nipple between her index and middle fingers.

"Yes, Becaaa," Chloe whimpered as the brunette's tongue moved more rigorously inside her core, rubbing enthusiastically against her clit. The moans travelled with the water down to the smaller girl's ears and encouraged her to pursue. Beca's left hand stopped gripping her girlfriend's ass and, caressing the other girl's toned skin, set about gently parting the taller girl's legs further as she pulled her head in closer. Within Chloe's core, the brunette's tongue flexed and flicked expertly with enough precision to send flutters up the ginger's trembling body. Every movement in each direction weakened the taller girl at the knees, her throat emitting increasingly loud groans into a melodic crescendo.

Feeling her girlfriend's body fully weaken against her touch, Beca proceeded to rub Chloe's perky breast as her tongue swirled and revelled in the building anticipation of her movements. With a deep breath in, the smaller girl recoiled her weapon partially to only then thrust it forward once again directly onto the quivering clit. Within seconds, Chloe's body was shuddering to an ecstatic climax and her core gushed with satisfaction, repeatedly. Beca, equally as eager for the release, accepted the flowing reward and her tongue proceeded with its diligent duty to clean the ginger's girlfriend's pouring core.

A few minutes later, Beca was retracting from her position between Chloe's core and rising to stand in front of the ginger. Parting her lips, the brunette let the shower's water pour into her mouth and she allowed the cleansing liquid to overflow before rinsing it out and lunging in for a passionate kiss. Chloe sighed with content as she slipped her tongue into a dance with Beca's between moulded lips in their warm mouths. Their wet bodies pressed flush against one another as their hands roamed over one another's sleek skin and toned physiques. With great reluctance, Beca pulled back and waited as the dazed ginger regained her stolen breath and opened her bright eyes. The electric orbs were enthused while also exhausted from the evening's activities. Noticing this, a smile crept onto the brunette's rosy lips as she spoke softly.

"Come on," she took the taller girl's slender hands gently in her own, "I'll help you get ready and then you can rest while I dress. Do you mind me borrowing your towel?" Bleary-eyed, the ginger shook her head and smiled widely as she tried to suppress an adorable yawn; her true fatigue catching up with her. As Beca slowly led her girlfriend from the warmth of the enclosed shower cubicle into the changing area, she heard a small voice speak behind her.

"I love you," Chloe whispered, Beca guiding her to perch next to the bench by the taller girl's neat pile of clothes, towel and mobile. Taking out the towel and starting to dry her girlfriend, the brunette chuckled and replied, "And I love you too, a lot".

"Best.. reward.. ever.." the ginger sighed between breaths and heavy blinking to maintain awareness. Chuckling once again, Beca carefully finished drying the taller girl's body before wrapping her ginger locks into the towel above her head. She then set about dressing the teenager, gently guiding Chloe's long neck and drooping head to avoid injury as she slipped the grey hoodie atop the purple lace bra. Unable to resist, Beca leaned in and sucked at the ginger's perky breasts emerging from the lingerie. However, before she could get carried away, the brunette pulled her lips from the bruising skin, admired her work and proceeded with her task. Chloe, much more awake after this, reached with a hand to gently tilt Beca's face toward her own before leaning in and giving her a passionate kiss. Grinning, the brunette kissed back lovingly and eagerly before loosening the towel from her clothed girlfriend's damp hair. She then set about drying and dressing herself rapidly, readjusting her bandage slightly and retying her damp hair into a tight ponytail. Meanwhile, Chloe braided her waves into a loose side plait before waiting for her girlfriend to finish getting ready and pulling her back into yet another embrace.

"You know," the ginger whispered, her breath heating the few inches between the girls' lips, "I'm awake now.. And more than willing to reward you back." Chloe's fingers were snaking toward the front of Beca's jeans however found themselves being halted between the brunette's thighs.

"Another time, my dad will worry if we're much later," Beca reluctantly breathed, "I would if I could but.. But it's too risky pissing him off."

"I understand," the ginger sighed, a little forlorn for a second before she blinked and the spark in her eyes returned to their normal electric illumination. Gathering their belongings together, the girls intertwined their fingers and enjoyed the slow walk from the changing room to the car park where Chloe's dad had texted he'd be arriving at shortly.


End file.
